Climate Change Adaptation in Mountains
Mountains cover roughly one quarter of the Earth’s land surface but host an impressive array of natural resources – 25% of terrestrial biodiversity, 60% of all biosphere reserves, freshwater supplies for lowland irrigation and domestic use, and important raw materials such as minerals and timber. They provide essential ecosystem services for livelihoods as well as opportunities for recreation and tourism.
Mountains are also currently home to about 1 billion people. And both the people and the mountains are particularly vulnerable to climate change.
Rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are disrupting water flows and affecting ecosystems, creating and worsening natural hazards and threatening livelihoods across the globe. But mountain ecosystems are more sensitive to climate change compared to other terrestrial ecosystems, and mountain dwellers have less income on average compared to people living downstream. As a result, the effects of climate change in the mountains fall disproportionately on both ecosystems and people.
This theme aims to support a community of practice for those working on and interested in climate change adaptation in mountains. It provides a space for knowledge and experience sharing and discussions, with the aim of supporting and connecting international actors working in this space. It is hosted by the Adaptation at Altitude (AaA) programme, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), which aims to enhance knowledge and support knowledge transfer and exchange to increase the climate change resilience and adaptation capacities of mountain communities and ecosystems.
As part of this work the AaA team are developing a global database of CCA solutions for mountain regions. Find out more here.
Get involved:
- Use the category buttons below to explore knowledge shared by peers working on climate change adaptation in mountains.
- Scroll down to 'Members' to see who else is working on climate change adaptation in mountains.
- To stay up-to-date with the latest articles, case studies and discussions happening in this space click "Join" below.
- To share your projects, reports from the field and other insights click on 'Share' in the menu bar above or contact Christina Daszkiewicz.
- To explore ongoing conversations, make an announcement or start a discussion, visit the CCA in Mountains discussion forum.
