The Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) is a platform for international and cross-disciplinary collaboration on the assessment, conservation, and sustainable use of mountain biodiversity. JOIN THE NETWORK
Importance and vulnerability of the world’s water towers
Adapting the planning and management of Norway spruce forests in mountain areas of Romania to environmental conditions including climate change
Using proxies of microbial community-weighted means traits to explain the cascading effect of management intensity, soil and plant traits on ecosystem resilience in mountain grasslands
Communities of aquatic macroinvertebrates from Konjuh Mountain headwater streams
Elevation, aspect, and local environment jointly determine diatom and macroinvertebrate diversity in the Cangshan Mountain, Southwest China
Effects of land cover type on community structure and functional traits of alpine stream benthic macroinvertebrates
The productivity-biodiversity relationship varies across diversity dimensions
Soil microbial networks shift across a high-elevation successional gradient
Disentangling the drivers of local species richness using probabilistic species pools
A Humboldtian approach to mountain conservation and freshwater ecosystem services
Thermal niche traits of high alpine plant species and communities across the tropical Andes and their vulnerability to global warming
Dieback and expansions: species-specific responses during 20 years of amplified warming in the high Alps
Disentangling observer error and climate change effects in long‐term monitoring of alpine plant species composition and cover
Halving sunlight reveals no carbon limitation of aboveground biomass production in alpine grassland
Climatic drivers of greening trends in the Alps
Extending Janzen’s hypothesis to temperate regions: A test using subterranean ecosystems
Temperature drives local contributions to beta diversity in mountain streams: Stochastic and deterministic processes
Contrasting effects of winter and summer climate on Holocene montane vegetation belts evolution in southeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China
Altitudinal biodiversity patterns of seed plants along Gongga Mountain in the southeastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau
Hiking trails as conduits for the spread of non-native species in mountain areas
Monitoring soil organic carbon in alpine soils using insituvis-NIR spectroscopy and a multilayer perceptron
Quantifying trends of land change in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during 2001-2015
Impacts of climate change and human factors on land cover change in inland mountain protected areas: a case study of the Qilian Mountain National Nature Reserve in China
Improved mapping of mountain shrublands using the Sentinel-2 Red-Edge Band
Low floristic richness of afro-alpine vegetation of Mount Kenya is related to its small area
Phenological plasticity is a poor predictor of subalpine plant population performance following experimental climate change
Snow depth variability in the Northern Hemisphere mountains observed from space
Contrasted impact of climate change on the vegetation of windy ridges and snowbeds in the Alps (Switzerland)
Towards the assessment of biodiversity and management practices in mountain pastures using diagnostic species?
The role of traditional management practices in shaping a diverse habitat mosaic in a mountain region of Northern Spain
Effects of forest management on bird assemblages in oak-dominated stands of the Western Carpathians – Refuges for rare species
Why mountains matter for biodiversity
High heat tolerance in plants from the Andean highlands: Implications for paramos in a warmer world
The Drakensberg Mountain Centre: A necessary revision of southern Africa's high-elevation centre of plant endemism
Endemic diversity and distribution of the Iranian vascular flora across phytogeographical regions, biodiversity hotspots and areas of endemism
Phytosociological data and herbarium collections show congruent large scale patterns but differ in their local descriptions of community composition
The effects of topographical factors on the distribution of plant communities in a mountain meadow on the Tibetan Plateau as a foundation for target-oriented management
Extinction debts and colonization credits of non-forest plants in the European Alps
Origins of global mountain plant biodiversity: Testing the ‘mountain‐geobiodiversity hypothesis’
Mountains as vulnerable places: a global synthesis of changing mountain systems in the Anthropocene
Bridging the divide between intuitive social-ecological value and sustainability in the Manica Highlands of southern Africa (Zimbabwe-Mozambique)
Fine-scale plant richness mapping of the Andean páramo according to macroclimate
Deciphering plant richness using satellite remote sensing: a study from three biodiversity hotspots
How will forest fires impact the distribution of endemic plants in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot?
Elevational changes in vascular plants richness, diversity, and distribution pattern in Abune Yosef mountain range, Northern Ethiopia
Climatic seasonality is linked to the occurrence of the mixed evergreen and deciduous broad‐leaved forests in China
Impacts of climate, soil and biotic interactions on the interplay of the different facets of alpine plant diversity
Could plant diversity metrics explain climate-driven vegetation changes on mountain summits of the GLORIA network?
The role of climate and biotic factors in shaping current distributions and potential future shifts of European Neocrepidodera (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)
Gradual distance dispersal shapes the genetic structure in an alpine grasshopper
A global perspective on tropical montane rivers
Above- and belowground linkages shape responses of mountain vegetation to climate change
Building mountain biodiversity: Geological and evolutionary processes
Humboldt’s enigma: What causes global patterns of mountain biodiversity?
Influence of microclimate and geomorphological factors on alpine vegetation in the Western Swiss Alps
Unravelling the history of biodiversity in mountain ranges through integrating geology and biogeography
At a microsite scale, native vegetation determines spatial patterns and survival of Pinus contorta invasion in Patagonia
CO2 fertilization plays a minor role in long-term carbon accumulation patterns in temperate pine forests in the southwestern Pyrenees
Raptor perch sites for biological control of agricultural pest rodents
Birds of forests and open woodlands in the Highlands of Dogu’a Tembien
Abstract submission is still open for the XVIII International Colloquium on Soil Zoology (ICSZ) and the XV International Colloquium on Apterygota (ICA) hosted by Eurac Research in Bolzano. Contribute with your research on "Soil biodiversity from the lowlands to the high mountains" and register! Read more...
The African Journal of Range & Forage Science is preparing a special Issue on "Montane Rangelands in a Changing World". The special issue welcomes contributions on all aspects of montane rangelands, particularly from southern Africa, but will also consider high quality contributions from around the world. The Journal will especially welcome papers on montane rangelands that juggle the same complexities as Southern Africa. Submissions may include original research, reviews and meta-analysis. Abstracts are due on 15 March 2020. Read more...
Abstract submission is still open for the “European Conference of Tropical Ecology” and the Annual Conference of the Society for Tropical Ecology (Gesellschaft für Tropenökologie, gtö) organized in Leipzig, Germany, March 24-27, 2020. This conference includes a session on "mountain biogeography: new insights, challenges, and future directions” chaired by Alexandra Muellner-Riehl, Adrien Favre, Zehao Shen, Suzette Flantua. The deadline is tight (16.01.2020). Read more...
GMBA working group on species distribution models & remote sensing publishes in Remote Sensing of Environment on Monitoring biodiversity in the Anthropocene using remote sensing in species distribution models. The paper first surveys the literature on remote sensing data products available to ecological modelers interested in improving predictions of species range dynamics under global change. Focus is on key biophysical processes underlying the distribution of species in the Anthropocene including climate variability, changes in land cover, and disturbances. The paper then discusses potential synergies between the ecological modeling and remote sensing communities. Specific attention is given to how synergies could lead to new opportunities to report on progress towards global agendas - such as the Agenda 2030 or the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and help guide conservation and management strategies. Get free access to the paper for another until early March...
The Luc Hoffmann Institute and Future Earth are inviting papers for a Special Issue in the Journal of Environmental Conservation Biodiversity Revisited: Developing new approaches to sustain life on Earth. Submission deadline 1st April. Read more...
Exciting PhD opportunity at the University of Bergen to work on impacts of warming, land-use, nitrogen deposition, and invasive plants (with warmer-climate trait) impacts on C fluxes and stocks in the INCLINE and ThreeD field experiments in the SeedClim climate grid in alpine grasslands western Norway. Read more...
PhD opportunity at the University of Bergen to work on exploring soil carbon accumulation in different habitats and land-use regimes in western Norway. Read more...
The JRS Biodiversity Foundation is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for multi-year projects focused upon biodiversity data, knowledge and information services related to (1) freshwater biodiversity, (2) pollinator biodiversity, and (3) biodiversity informatics capacity development. The foundation will award about 1.6 million U.S. dollars among qualifying proposals by July 2020.
Mountain Research and Development is looking for contributions that address how education can contribute to sustainable mountain development. Contributions should present systematically validated experiences, integrated analyses, and well-referenced reflections and suggestions regarding thematic issues, pedagogic concepts and methods, formal and informal practices, institutional setups, and policy frameworks. Full papers are due by 31 March 2020. Read more...
Abstract submission for the III National Scientific Conference "Information Technologies in Biodiversity Research" is open until 15 February. The purpose of this conference held at the Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg, Russia, 20-25 April, 2020 is to discuss and share the experience of using modern informatics technologies for research and analysis of biodiversity. Check out the program online and read more...
The University of Colorado - Boulder offers 10 paid summer research internships for Colorado Community College students interested in Environmental Science, Atmospheric Science, Earth Science, Geology, Ecology, Geochemistry, Climate Science, and Geomorphology. These are independent research projects guided by a science mentor. Read more...
Guest editor Dr. Katarzyna Ostapowicz is inviting contributions for a special issue in Remote Sensing on "Remote Sensing for Biodiversity & Conservation in Mountain and Polar Regions". This special issue is aiming to cover the most recent advances in techniques and algorithms to process remotely sensed information for ecology and conservation in the high-altitude and high-latitude regions. Read more and submit your manuscript by 31 July 2020...
Papers focus on scenario planning in Iceland; risk awareness in Austria; alpine pasture assessment in France; the role of different knowledge sources in adaptation in Venezuela and Colombia, Ecuador, and the Indian Himalaya; local adaptations to water scarcity in the Hindu Kush–Himalaya; declining glacier water in the Mongolian Altai; national glacier monitoring worldwide; and adaptation initiatives in African mountains. Read more...
This Special Issue of Land aims to provide practitioners and policymakers with key information on the dynamics and changes in threatened mountain ecosystems and help them design and implement appropriate management strategies for sustainable mountain futures. Guest editors: Rob Marchant & Aida Cuni-Sanchez. Submission deadline: 30 December 2020. Read more..
The Sustainable Summits conference is being held in Nepal 1-5 June 2020 to showcase the country’s mountain environment, highlight climate change issues and bring international attention to Nepal’s mountain tourism. Read more...
UNFCCC’s Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa officially receives “10 New Insights in Climate Science” as it is launched at COP25, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain. These Insights are a collaborative product of Future Earth and the Earth League. Insight 3 "Climate change leaves no mountain summit behind" is co-authored by GMBA and MRI. Read more...
Several postdoc positions are available with start dates in 2020. Consideration begins in mid December 2019 and continues until the positions are filled. Topics pertain to quantitative ecology and global biodiversity of various taxonomic groups. Check them out!
Eurac Research - Institute for Alpine Environment has a number of research positions as well as internship positions open! Topics are ecosystem services and green infrastructure as well as biodiversity monitoring in South Tyrol. Check them out!
Open position for a Scientific Developer / Technical Coordinator to join the IPBES Technical Support Unit on Data and Knowledge hosted at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany. Review of applications will begin on December 16th, 2019 and continue until the position is filled. Check it out!
The Biology of Winter Gordon Conference (21-26 June 2020, Waterville Valley, NH, USA) is now open for registration. The GRC aims at three key impacts: 1) bring together winter researchers from a range of disciplines and identify the common threads and significant divergences in winter research; 2) consolidate and coordinate interpretation of the biological impacts of ongoing winter changes; and 3) set an agenda for future winter research that leverages existing partnerships to include a broader array of disciplines and to foster interactions among levels of biological organization, across traditional disciplinary lines, and among taxa. Read more...
On October 31, 2019, 20 scientists and individual actors in charge of formulating and implementing environmental policies for Swiss mountains got together at the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration to discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating research and long-term monitoring data into public policies for environmental management in Swiss mountains. Read more...
The III National Scientific Conference "Information Technologies in Biodiversity Research" is dedicated to the 100 year's anniversary of the birth of academician Pavel Gorchakovsky, the outstanding botanist who first initiated research on the Urals alpine flora. The conference will be held in the Ural Federal University in Yekaterinburg, Russia, 20-25 April, 2020. The purpose is to discuss and share the experience of using modern informatics technologies for research and analysis of biodiversity. Read more...
The Grassroots Institute organizes a 10 days summer field course and workshop on mountain ecosystems and resource management in Ukraine, 06-15.07.2020. The aim is to build perspectives and capacities of young researchers, PhD students, teachers, field practitioners and future leaders on regional mountain ecology, sustainable development, and local livelihoods. Read more...
The Afromontane Research Unit (ARU - South Africa) in collaboration with Wageningen University (The Netherlands) will be running an inter-disciplinary course on past, present, and future trajectories of landscape dynamics and developments. This course will take place 12-23 October 2020, in the northern Maloti-Drakensberg (South Africa-Lesotho). Read more...
On October 02-04, 2019, 22 experts from science and policy got together in the botanical garden of Champex-Lac (Switzerland) to discuss the contribution of Long-Term Social Ecological Research (LTSER) in mountains to global agendas and conventions. The objective of the workshop was to deliver a synthetic overview of how mountain LTSER currently support global policy agendas and UN conventions and how their contribution could be improved and strengthened in the future. Read more...
It is now possible to upload occurrence as well as inventory data directly online! Map of Life’s online tool is designed to help you easily load your biodiversity data to the Map of Life and Mountain Portal database, map them, compare and integrate them with other datasets, set permissions to share them publicly for use in other platforms, and publish them with a minted DOI. Try the tool with your own data!
Future Earth posted a blog that we wrote about our PEGASuS Project entitled "Toward biodiversity-related opportunities for sustainable development: a global social-ecological mountain comparison". Enjoy the read...
An important role for GMBA is to connect mountain biodiversity scientists. For that purpose, we have developed an online tool for the query of our database of members. The beta version is now online! Check it out!
During the past months, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS) in close collaboration with GMBA has developed an interactive webportal for the query and visualization of information about indigenous mountain communities worldwide. Read more...
On 24.10.2017 USGS releases the Global Mountain Explorer developed in partnership with GMBA, the Center for Development and Environment, the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), and ESRI. This tool was developed to provide a detailed view of the world's mountains according to the three most commonly used definitions of mountains. With this product, MRI, who led the effort, achieves the first objective of the Group on Earth Observations - Global Network for Observation and Information in Mountain Environments (GEO-GNOME) work program. Read the full press release...
The Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) and Map of Life (MOL) launch the Mountain Portal V2.0, now with more data and an improved user experience to the mountain biodiversity science community.
Alpandino (https://www.alpandino.org) is an e-learning course on alpine ecology developed by the University of Basel. The course contains lectures on various aspects of alpine ecology, including climate, microclimate, water issues, and soils, and also offers a photo-excursion to alpine habitats and treeline locations around the globe.
This course is a great entry point for a diverse audience, ranging from alpine zoologists and microbiologists to conservation experts and nature reserve managers. It serves also as an ideal preparation for field excursions or field weeks with students.
The course is available in English and Spanish.
Altenbergrain 21
3013 Bern