Human activities are profoundly affecting the world’s climate, and mountains are a sensitive indicator of that effect. Because of their altitude, slope and orientation to the sun, mountain ecosystems are easily disrupted by variations in climate. Many scientists believe that the changes occurring in mountain ecosystems may provide an early glimpse of what could come to pass in lowland environments.
As the world heats up, mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, while rare plants and animals struggle to survive over ever diminishing areas, and mountain peoples, already among the world’s poorest citizens, face even greater hardships.
Changes in the volume of mountain glaciers and in their seasonal melting patterns have an impact on water resources in many parts of the world. Changes in water availability due to climate change are taking place at a time when pressure on water resources for irrigation and food production, industrialization and urbanization is increasing.
Understanding how climate change affects mountains is vital as governments and international organizations develop strategies to reverse current global warming trends, elaborating treaties such as the Kyoto Protocol and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In addition, local community empowerment can be an essential step towards building climate change resilience in mountains.
![]() Cultural heritage at the European Mountain ConventionnewsFrom 25 to 27 September 2018, nearly 200 mountain stakeholders from all over Europe gathered in Vatra Dornei, Romania, to participate in the European Mountain Convention on “Cultural Heritage as an Engine for Creativity, Innovation and Socioeconomic Development of Mountain areas”, organised jointly by Euromontana and several Romanian... Read more » |
![]() #MountainsMatter Photo ContestnewsThe Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched a #MountainsMatter Photo Contest in celebration of International Mountain Day that is observed every year on 11 December 2018. Participants from around the world are encouraged to submit photos showing why mountains matter to them. Approximately 13 percent of the world’s population... Read more » |
![]() Forum Carpaticum 2018eventThe Forum Carpaticum is an open meeting of the Science for the Carpathians (S4C) initiative that occurs every two years. The fifth Forum Carpaticum will cover a wide range of topics related to sustainability in the Carpathians, including land cover and land-use change, renewable energy, climate change vulnerability assessment and... Read more » |
![]() Closing summer school on AgrobiodiversitynewsThe first Summer School on Agrobiodiversity in a Changing Climate ended this week. Held at FAO in Rome, Italy, the course hosted high profile speakers from NaturaSi, IFOAM Organics International and Slow Food and looked at ways to enhance productivity and improve marketing strategies in sustainable and resilient agricultural systems. “We know that... Read more » |
![]() Inspiring social innovation in mountainsnewsSocial Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas (SIMRA)’s fourth brochure, called “Collection of Examples of Social Innovation in Mountain areas” has just been published, in collaboration with Euromontana and SIMRA partners. These brochures aim at concretely illustrating social innovation through the presentation of local on-going initiatives throughout Europe and the... Read more » |
![]() Thinking MountainseventThinking Mountains 2018 will bring researchers, students and teachers from across scholarly disciplines into dialogue with activists, artists, Indigenous leaders and community members, all of whom share a commitment to global mountain sustainability and to the betterment of mountain peoples, places and activities. This will be the third interdisciplinary Thinking Mountains... Read more » |
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