Forests play a key role in mountain areas, providing goods and services essential to the livelihood of both highland and lowland communities. Freshwater streaming down from mountains is accessible to more than half of the world's population and available for the most varied needs, such as drinking, cooking and washing, farming, hydropower, industry and transportation. The biodiversity stored in healthy mountain forests provides a range of products, such as timber, fuel, medicinal and aromatic plants, fodder and a wide variety of foods that ensure the well-being of local populations. Mountain forests also occupy a crucial position in terms of climate change, representing fundamental ecosystems for the health of the planet. This publication is intended to raise awareness of the global importance and the need for sustainable management of these unique ecosystems. It was prepared in 2011, to coincide with the world's celebration of the International Year of Forests as well as of the International Mountain Day on December 11th, dedicated to the theme of mountain forests. To mark these occasions, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) have jointly issued this volume, the fourth of a series, including Mountains and Climate Change, Mountain Biodiversity and Global Change, and Highlands and Drylands. Hoping that, through this publication, communities, scientists and policy makers at national and international level will support the creation and implementation of long-term policies in order to conserve and protect these fundamental ecosystems and to benefit and improve the lives of their people for the benefit of both mountain people and inhabitants of adjacent lowlands.

Type of Case
Printed publication (book, sourcebook, journal article…)

Publisher
FAO/MPS and SDC

Region
Global

Biome
All

Forest Type
All forest types (natural and planted)

Primary Designated Function
All