Mountain biodiversity science
GMBA supports and facilitates mountain biodiversity science via working groups and individual projects. It promotes inter-and transdisciplinary science in various thematic areas.
Mountain biodiversity science: thematic priorities
Mountain biodiversity assessment and monitoring
Globally integrated assessment and monitoring of biodiversity
(species, populations, traits) requires interdisciplinary research and a
close collaboration between observational, remote sensing, and
modelling communities that are collecting and using spatio-temporally
explicit biodiversity or environmental data to capture, report on, and
predict ongoing changes, and to develop integrated knowledge products
(e.g. map layers).
Current efforts focus on providing the mountain biodiversity community
with a platform for mountain biodiversity data visualization, on
supporting long-term monitoring efforts, and on bridging gaps with the
remote sensing community.
Current working groups
- Species distribution modeling and remote sensing
- Promoting Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) in mountains
- Mountain biodiversity assessment
Past working groups
Mountain biodiversity and global change
Natural disasters in the form of landslides, floods, and avalanches
strike mountains each year, affecting well-defined areas, their habitat
diversity, and their ecosystem dynamics. Habitat and community
regeneration after such natural disturbances is generally relatively
fast. In contrast, climate change and human impact dominate large areas
with often irreversible effects. Of all global change impacts on
mountain biodiversity, land use is likely the most important factor.
Current efforts focus on improving existing knowledge on the protection,
management, and sustainable use of mountain biodiversity in the face of
global change, and on mountain social-ecological systems.
Current working groups
Past working groups
Mountain biodiversity and opportunities for sustainable development
Developing effective valuation, policy, governance, and management
approaches to safeguard the biodiversity underpinning human well-being
in mountains and achieve international sustainable development agendas
requires a common understanding of the interactions between nature and
people particular to given mountain ranges.
Current efforts focus on improving existing knowledge on the importance
of mountain biodiversity for ecosystem functions and services, and
ultimately for human well-being in mountains and beyond.
Current working group
Current project