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. 

40 years of UNESCO World Heritage Convention

40 years of UNESCO World Heritage Convention

peak to peak

Issue 48 - Month 01 - Year 2012

 

This year marks the 40th anniversary of UNESCO World Heritage Convention. We have asked Marc Patry from the World Heritage Centre what the Convention envisages for mountains .

How is UNESCO ensuring protection of mountain sites? Could you highlight...

Download »

Mountain Nimba, Cote d'Ivoire awarded emergency relief grant

news

The Côte d’Ivoire component of the transboundary Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, inscribed onto the list of UNESCO World Heritage in Danger, has been awarded a Rapid Response Facility (RRF) small grant. This site has a unique geography, rising above the surrounding savannah and consisting of dense forest...

Read more »
Mountain Plants Disappear as Climate Warms

Mountain Plants Disappear as Climate Warms

news

A new study says that a warming climate is having a more profound effect on the world's mountain
vegetation than previously believed and that some alpine meadows could vanish altogether within a
few decades.

 

Photo (c) Giovanni / Flickr

Read more »

Climate Summit for a Living Himalaya

news

Climate change poses severe threats to Himalayan nations. With 24 of its 2674 glacial lakes considered unstable, the Kingdom of Bhutan alone is preparing for an increase in "mountain tsunamis", as the phenomenon is often referred to. The one occurred in 1994 caused dozens of people dead. Further to the...

Read more »

Establishment of Altai Trans-boundary Reserve

news

On 15 September 2011, Ministers of the Russian Federation and Republic of Kazakhstan officially signed an intergovernmental agreement regarding the establishment of the Trans-boundary Reserve “Altai” on the basis of Katunskiy Biosphere Reserve in Russia and Katon-Karagaiskiy National Park in Kazakhstan. The signed agreement is based on the six-years of...

Read more »

Juniper bush - disappearance in the Himalayas discovered by Mountain Institute expedition

news

During a recent expedition to Imja Lake, Nepal, in the Himalayas, scientists of the Mountain Institute (TMI) discovered evidence that Jupiter bushes are disappearing. This phenomenon is a “disaster in making”, which will cause extreme problems to Himalayan ecosystems. The high terrain surrounding the lake, near the hill behind the...

Read more »
Home > mountain-partnership > Our work > Biodiversity