Mountain Ecosystems
Mountain areas cover 24% of the Earth*s land surface, are home to 12% of the global population, provide vital goods and services - particularly freshwater - to at least half of humanity, and are key centres of biological and cultural diversity. A workshop at the 3rd World Conservation Congress in 2008 identified three themes for future CEM activity in mountain ecosystems, which should be undertaken with other elements of IUCN (e.g., WCPA, regional offices) and other partner organizations:
- ecosystem services: the importance of the provision of water from mountain areas will continue to increase with climate change and population growth. This links to both the FAO mountain watershed network and further action on the Millennium Assessment.
- adaptation to climate change: mountain ecosystems are likely to be particularly affected; there is a need to share experiences, avoid duplication and build on experience.
- connectivity: the WCPA mountain biome is leading on connectivity conservation beyond protected areas, particularly as an adaptive response to climate change (click here for more info); this landscape-scale focus needs to be widened to include the perspectives of ecosystem management and of mobile indigenous people.
These issues will be addressed at an international conference on 'Global Change and the World's Mountains', to take place in Perth, UK, on 26-30 September 2010. Building on ongoing work, this will provide an opportunity to further develop activities on mountain ecosystems within CEM. More information
Final call for papers: Deadline 1 March 2010
