Mountain biodiversity
Mountains loom large in some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes. Their unique topography, compressed climatic zones and isolation have created the conditions for a wide spectrum of life forms.
Half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots are concentrated in mountains and mountains support approximately one-quarter of terrestrial biological diversity. Mountains are home to rare species of plants and animals. These include increasingly rare animals such as gorillas, mountain lions, and the majestic tahr or strikingly beautiful plants such as orchids and lobelias.
A large portion of the world's most precious gene pools (for agriculture and medicine) are preserved in mountains. Crops that are important for food security, such as maize, potatoes, barley, sorghum, tomatoes and apples, have been diversified in mountains and an array of domestic animals - sheep, goats, yaks, llamas and alpacas - have originated or been diversified in mountains. Other crops, such as wheat, rye, rice, oats and grapes, have found new homes in the mountains and evolved into many varieties. Coffee and tea, with their roots in Ethiopia and the Himalayan region, are mountain crops as well. Medicinal plants are one of the most valuable resources from high altitudes. This rich biodiversity holds cultural, ecological and economic value. In the Andes, for example, farmers know of as many as 200 different varieties of Indigenous Peoples' potatoes and, in Nepal, they farm approximately 2 000 varieties of rice.
Climate change, poverty, commercial mining, logging and poaching all exact a heavy toll on mountain biodiversity. The sustainable management of mountain biodiversity has increasingly been recognized as a global priority. The Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a Programme of Work on Mountain Biological Diversity in 2004, which includes a set of actions and targets addressing characteristics and problems that are specific to mountain ecosystems.
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Third World Biodiversity ForumeventUnder the theme "From Science to Action", the third World Biodiversity Forum (WBF) will bring together researchers across all disciplines of biodiversity science with practitioners and societal actors to explore how to move from science to actions and solutions to conserve biodiversity and forge a path towards transformation for sustainability. The...
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International Mountain Day 2023eventRestoring mountain ecosystems is the theme of this year's International Mountain Day on 11 December. This theme was selected to fully include mountains in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030, co-led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and the UN Environment Programme. The Decade is an opportunity to...
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7th International Plant Functional Traits CourseeventThe 7th International Plant Functional Traits Course (PFTC) will be held on 1-19 December 2023, at the Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa. PFTCs offer hands-on training in applications of plant functional trait ecology within a real-life field research project setting. During this course, students will collect and explore plant functional trait...
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University of Calgary publishes an assessment of Canadian mountainsnewsMountain Partnership member the University of Calgary published The Canadian Mountain Assessment, a first-of-its-kind look at what is known, what is not known, and what needs to be known about mountain systems in Canada. The new collection of knowledge clarifies challenges and opportunities specific to mountain systems and...
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Cultivating change with innovation and technology at Expo Doha Qatar 2023newsAgrobiodiversity and innovation took centre stage at a dynamic workshop in the Italian Pavilion at Expo Doha Qatar 2023 on 22 November 2023. This workshop, organized by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), showcased new technologies and innovative initiatives focused on agrobiodiversity. Speakers provided concrete...
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Expo 2023 Doha: Agrobiodiversity and innovation workshopeventAs part of the GROW - Agrobiodiversity in a Changing Climate course, this workshop, hosted at the Italian Pavilion in Expo 2023 Doha, will showcase innovative initiatives and technology applications focused on agrobiodiversity as potential solutions for addressing food insecurity. It will explore the potential of leveraging artificial intelligence...
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