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Endemism increases species' climate change risk in areas of global biodiversity importance
Climate change and anthropogenic food manipulation interact in shifting the distribution of a large herbivore at its altitudinal range limit
The impact of land-use legacies and recent management on natural disturbance susceptibility in mountain forests
Environmental and anthropogenic factors shape major bacterial community types across the complex mountain landscape of Switzerland
Historical legacies and contemporary processes shape beta diversity in Neotropical montane streams
Decline in forest bird species and guilds due to land use change in the Western Himalaya
Dynamics in plant diversity and composition on Australian alpine summits over time
Global patterns and drivers of alpine plant species richness
Contrasting response of native and non‐native plants to disturbance and herbivory in mountain environments
Long-term vegetation change in the Western Tien-Shan Mountain pastures, Central Asia, driven by a combination of changing precipitation patterns and grazing pressure
Changes in soil chemistry and foliar metabolism of Himalayan Cedar (Cedrus deodara) and Himalayan Spruce (Picea smithiana) along an elevational gradient at Kufri, HP, India: the potential roles of regional pollution and localized grazing
How mountains and elevations shape the spatial distribution of beetles in Peninsular Malaysia
Lepanthes marielana (Orchidaceae, Pleurothallidinae), a new species from the eastern Andes in Colombia
New records of mammals of the Coffee Region, Central Andes of Colombia using citizen science
Species richness, geographical affinities and activity patterns of mammals in premontane andean forests of the Magdalena river basin of Colombia
Mapping water ecosystem services: Evaluating InVEST model predictions in data scarce regions
Seeing the wood despite the trees: Exploring human disturbance impact on plant diversity, community structure, and standing biomass in fragmented high Andean forests
Conservation planning for people and nature in a Chilean biodiversity hotspot
Predicting spatial patterns of soil bacteria under current and future environmental conditions
Mountains act as museums and cradles for hemipteran insects in China: evidence from patterns of richness and phylogenetic structure
Low spatial autocorrelation in mountain biodiversity data and model residuals
Mountain surface processes and regulation
Five animal phyla in glacier ice reveal unprecedented biodiversity in New Zealand's Southern Alps
Repeated surveying over 6 years reveals that fine-scale habitat variables are key to tropical mountain ant assemblage composition and functional diversity
Ant diversity and community composition in alpine tree line ecotones
An integrative approach to infer systematic relationships and define species groups in the shrub frog genus Raorchestes, with description of five new species from the Western Ghats, India
Pollination in the campo rupestre : a test of hypothesis for an ancient tropical mountain vegetation
Periglacial landforms in the high Drakensberg, Southern Africa: morphogenetic associations with rock weathering rinds and shrub growth patterns
The imperiled alpine grasslands of the Afrotropic realm
Maintaining biodiversity promotes the multifunctionality of social-ecological systems: holistic modelling of a mountain system
Mountain biodiversity and ecosystem functions: interplay between geology and contemporary environments
Global assessment of mountain ecosystem services using earth observation data
Consistent population declines but idiosyncratic range shifts in Alpine orchids under global change
Festuca drakensbergensis (Poaceae): A common new species in the F. caprina complex from the Drakensberg Mountain Centre of Floristic Endemism, southern Africa, with key and notes on taxa in the complex including the overlooked F. exaristata
Grassland biomass balance in the European Alps: current and future ecosystem service perspectives
Evaluating ecosystem service trade-offs along a land-use intensification gradient in central Veracruz, Mexico
The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in nonnative plant invasion along mountain roads
Integrating ecosystem services within spatial biodiversity conservation prioritization in the Alps
Predicting impacts of climate variability on Banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora A. Camus) forests: understanding future implications for Central Himalayas
Influence of climate, soil, and land cover on plant species distribution in the European Alps
Greater topoclimatic control of above‐ versus belowground communities
Shifting aspect or elevation? The climate change response of ectotherms in a complex mountain topography
Treeline ecotones shape the distribution of avian species richness and functional diversity in south temperate mountains
A 3000-year record of vegetation changes and fire at a high-elevation wetland on Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Warming of alpine tundra enhances belowground production and shifts community towards resource acquisition traits
An uphill battle? The elevational distribution of alien plant species along rivers and roads in the Austrian Alps
The invasive grass genus Nassella in South Africa: A synthesis
A quantitative assessment of rockfall influence on forest structure in the Swiss Alps
Belowground impacts of Alpine woody encroachment are determined by plant traits, local climate and soil conditions
Rapid climate change results in long-lasting spatial homogenization of phylogenetic diversity
Climate controls plant life‐form patterns on a high‐elevation oceanic island
Generic boundaries in subtribe Saussureinae (Compositae: Cardueae): Insights from Hyb‐Seq data
Phylotranscriptomics reveals extensive gene duplication in the subtribe Gentianinae (Gentianaceae)
Land surface phenology and greenness in Alpine grasslands driven by seasonal snow and meteorological factors
Long-term altitudinal change in bird richness in a Mediterranean mountain range: habitat shifts explain the trends
Benefits of conservation-driven mowing for the EU policy species Gladiolus palustris Gaudin in mountain fen meadows: a case-study in the European Alps
A century of high elevation ecosystem change in the Canadian Rocky Mountains
The importance of habitat diversity and plant species richness for hazel grouse occurrence in the mixed mountain forests of the Western Carpathians
Response of multiple mountain ecosystem services on environmental gradients: How to respond, and where should be priority conservation?
Climatic changes and the fate of mountain herbivores
The Call for Abstracts for the First Southern African Mountain Conference (SAMC2022) is now open. SAMC2022 is organised by the African Mountain Research Foundation (AMRF), in association with the Afromontane Research Unit (ARU – University of the Free State) and Global Mountain Safeguard Research (GLOMOS – United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security and Eurac Research), and will be held at the Champagne Sports Resort in the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains, from 14 to 17 March 2022. Read more...
Fresh out of the press: the third edition of Christian Körner's seminal book "Alpine Plant Life - Functional Plant Ecology of High Mountain Ecosystems"! This 500 page volume has been largely rewritten and greatly expanded since the last version that appeared in 2003. This is a must read for students and professionals alike, freely accessible via University Springer links. Read more...
UNEP in collaboration with GMBA, the Mountain Research Initiative, and GRID-Arendal produced an information panel on the important role mountains play in the context of the Convention on Biological Diversity's Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The panel highlights the unique biodiversity that mountain regions are hosting, sheds light on threats to mountain biodiversity, and presents policy recommendations suggesting how to address the protection of mountain biodiversity in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The panel is part of a larger physical exhibition about the protection of endangered mountain species and increasing the resilience of wildlife and local communities towards climatic changes (Vanishing Treasures Programme). Check out the panel...
The Global EbA Fund has opened its first Call for Proposals. Led by IUCN and UNEP, the Global EbA Fund is a quickly deployable mechanism for supporting innovative approaches to Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA). The Fund aims to encourage catalytic initiatives to help overcome barriers for upscaling EbA. Through its International Climate Initiative (IKI), the Federal Environment Ministry of Germany has committed 20 million euros to the Fund. First deadline: 30 April 2021. Read more...
Mountain Research and Development is looking for trans- and interdisciplinary contributions that help understand the links between hazards, vulnerabilities, disaster management, and diverse dimensions of development, adaptation, and global change. Insights into integrative approaches to improving disaster management across the entire cycle from prevention to recovery are also highly welcome. Full papers are due by 1 September 2021. Read more...
The deadline for contributions to a Special Issue on "Insects in Mountain Ecosystems" has been extended to 31 December 2021. This Special Issue will broadly address studies on insects in mountain ecosystems across all relevant disciplines, and, in this context, submissions in the form of reviews and original basic or applied research are welcome. Accepted contributions will be published on an ongoing basis. Read more...
The Forum Carpaticum is an open meeting of the Science for the Carpathians (S4C) initiative. S4C – Science for the Carpathians – connects scientists in Central Europe, defines research priorities for the region, provides applicable findings for the politics of the region and enhances international collaboration with partners from outside the Carpathians. Read more...
Our planet is undergoing major environmental change, which is causing many plants to experience conditions harsher than those they are adapted to. In response, they can modify their distribution ranges, adapt to the new environmental conditions, or go extinct locally. The goal of this special issue is to bring together observational, experimental and theoretical studies on the ecology and evolution of plants in extreme environments. Deadline for manuscript submission: 30 September 2021. Read more...
Mountain Research and Development invites transdisciplinary and multidisciplinary papers that address transformations affecting pastoralists and rangelands in mountains and high-elevation landscapes, their interactions with other systems, and the answers local communities, policymakers, and scientists can provide. Contributions can be empirical or conceptual, case studies or syntheses. Full papers are due by 19 March 2021. Read more...
Two new issues of MRD are complete. Vol 40, No 2, guest-edited by GMBA, focuses on the role of mountain biodiversity for sustainable development. Papers from various world regions offer further evidence of mountain species’ importance for human livelihoods and wellbeing, and call for effective conservation and management approaches. Vol 40, No 1 also contains several biodiversity-related articles; further studies address tourism development in the South Caucasus and other topics
Remote sensing can invaluably contribute to the investigation of invasion processes by providing wide spatiotemporal data on both alien species occurrence and proxies of invasion drivers. This Special Issue, jointly organized between “Remote Sensing” and “Earth” journals, aims at gathering contributions focused on the use of remote sensing for tracking invasion dynamics in areas undergoing rapid environmental changes. Read more...
Halle University in Germany is launching a new international master's program - Biodiversity Sciences, which aims to scientifically convey how the state and changes of biodiversity can be quantified across space and time, what evolutionary and ecological processes underlie them and what consequences arise from biodiversity changes for humans. Deadline for international applications is April 30, 2021. Read more...
The next International Mountain Conference is in the making. Stay tuned...
The ARU is inviting applications from suitable candidates for a three-year POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP (2021–2023) that will drive the ARU contribution to the EU Horizon 2020 BiodivERsA Project: Mechanisms underlying the success and impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of range-expanding species under climate change. This will include leading and managing a remote, high-elevation experiment site on the summit of the Maloti-Drakensberg; widespread interaction with local managers and policy-makers on mountainous range-expanding species (native and non-native); and leading/participating in associated workshops and events. Read more...
Georg Niedrist at the University of Innsbruck is recruiting a PhD student to work on periphyton composition and production in a project on fatty acids in alpine stream food webs. Three year position starting this May. Read more...
The new factsheet "Achieving the SDGs with Biodiversity" by the Swiss Biodiversity Forum (SCNAT) and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN Switzerland) shows the contribution biodiversity for each SDG. The authors, including GMBA, conclude, among other things, that biodiversity should be mainstreamed into all policy areas.
The German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) has opened a new call for working groups. Pre-proposals are due before 16 March 2021. Read more...
The three year position is within the European Biodiversa - project ASICS (ASsessing and mitigating the effects of climate change and biological Invasions on the spatial redistribution of biodiversity in Cold environmentS), which aims to combine expertise and existing data from cold environments (sub-Antarctic islands, Arctic, Antarctic and alpine
regions) to better understand the combined effects of climate changes and biological invasions on the future of biodiversity in these environments.
The objective of the Compendium of EO contributions to the SDG Targets and Indicators was to conduct an in-depth review of the relevance of satellite observations to the SDG Targets and Indicators, and more specifically to analyse how these observations can be embedded in the computational methods of the SDG indicators and be fitted into national statistical systems for monitoring progress on SDGs. It illustrates how satellite observations can directly or indirectly support SDG indicators, and how countries can set and plan their SDG targets using EO-based support tools.
The Afromontane Research Unit based at the QwaQwa Campus of the University of the Free State (South Africa), will be hosting the Southern African Mountain Conference from 14 to 17 March 2022. Read more and stay tuned...
The French Presidency of the Alpine Convention and the European Strategy for the Alpine Region are inviting to the Mountain Biodiversity Day. The one-day event offers a platform for discussions between experts and representatives from mountain regions all over the world, working in the field of biodiversity, with a strong focus on mountains. The main goal is to share experiences, identify shared challenges and showcase best-practice examples and solutions from various regional perspectives.
The Grenoble Alpine Ecology Lab team is recruiting a postdoc for a 30 months position on a new French-Austrian project which will investigate how qualitative changes in plant traits in shrub encroached alpine communities impact water and nutrient cycling and their responses to drought and shorter snow seasons. Deadline for applications: 8 January 2021 on https://bit.ly/3mDU7qH. Read more...
The aim of this Research Topic is to bring together the current ecological and evolutionary research on biological diversity in African mountains across different taxa of plants and animals, biotope types, and geographical locations. A particular focus is placed on the role of environmental gradients in ecological differentiation of individuals and communities, the origination of species and shaping their geographical distributions. Further, research on inter-specific interactions, the importance of ecological adaptations, and the significance of evolutionary history for current patterns of biodiversity is encouraged. Abstract submission deadline is 26 February 2021. Read more...
The RangeX consortium is recruiting one doctoral and four postdoctoral candidates to join the team from April 2021. Interested candidates may apply for multiple positions but must do so via the submission systems of the relevant institutions. The submission deadlines for each position differ slightly, with the earliest being 4th January 2021. Read more...
The ARU is inviting applications from suitable candidates for a three-year post-doctoral fellowship (2021–2023) that will drive the ARU contribution to the RangeX project. Deadline for application is 30 January 2021. Read more...
For International Mountain Day we have published all the "Tales of Mountain Biodiversity" we collected together with the Mountain Partnership. Many thanks to everybody for your contributions!
This short editorial sets the stage for an ongoing Focus Issue on Mountain Biodiversity and Sustainable Development in Mountain Research and Development. Read more...
In this commentary, we first illustrate the importance and challenges of safeguarding healthy mountain ecosystems. We then outline how integrated strategies that enable transformative changes across socio-economic sectors and segments of society can place well-conserved mountain biodiversity at the core of a just, equitable, and sustainable world. Read more...
In this paper we applied the IPBES conceptual framework to assess and compare the contents of 631 abstracts on the interactions among biodiversity, ecosystem services, human wellbeing, and drivers of change and formulate a set of research recommendations. Read more...
In preparation of International Mountain Day we have collaborated with the Mountain Partnership to develop an infographic on why mountain biodiversity matters. This is for unrestricted use and we encourage you to disseminate it widely. Access and download...
Culture is fundamentally relevant for sustainable development. This focus issue shows how mountain communities draw on their cultural heritage and integrate new knowledge to shape their own innovative and locally-based development pathways. It also explores ways of integrating culture into development practice and policy. Studies focus on mountain communities in Chile, Italy, Russia, Ecuador, Georgia, Nepal, and China.
SRI2021 will be a hybrid event, with a diverse and innovative online program alongside onsite participation in Brisbane, Australia. SRI2021 will take place June 12-15, 2021 with activities, networking, training and more both prior and following the event. Early bird registration is now open and the call for session proposals will remain open until December 15. Read more...
The Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research at the University of Vienna
(http://www.botanik.univie.ac.at/botanik/index.php) is offering two PhD positions within the framework of an EU-funded research project (ERC-AdG MICROCLIM). Read more and apply...
After ten years of work, the results of the second European Breeding Bird Atlas are compiled in a book with the most up-to-date source of information on distribution, abundance and change of bird populations in Europe. With around 120,000 fieldworkers contributing data this project is among the biggest citizen science projects on biodiversity ever. A total of 556 species are treated with a full species account including (abundance, distribution, change) maps, text and an illustration. Pre-publication discount available until 30 Novembre. Read more and order...
Guest editors C. Hobohm and N. Barker invite contributions for a special issue in Diversity on global patterns of endemic and threatened species in relation to environment and habitat. This Special Issue will focus on analyses of selected endemics or globally threatened species in relation to biogeography, landscape ecology, and genetics/taxonomy. The purpose is to generate scientific information on selected taxa as a fundament for political decisions related to ecosystems or special regions. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2021. Read more...
Do you live or work in mountains and work on regional or sustainable development? Colleagues at the University of Bern invite you to participate in an online survey about sustainable development in mountain regions. The survey applies the Q methodology to collect stakeholder perspectives on which Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be prioritized to successfully implement the full SDG agenda in mountains and investigates the role of protected and conserved areas for sustainable development. Take the survey...
With a series of short films, called "Mountains – a fragile source of life" GMBA network member Dirk Schmeller explains different aspects of mountains and why they are important for the human society. Check out the first episode "Research to protect our future"...
Endemism in island-like systems – Are true islands and sky islands alike? To answer this question, Suzette Flantua and co-authors reviewed the theoretical concept of isolation and asked themselves what it means to be isolated and what relevance it has for species in mountains and islands. Their conclusions are published today in Global Ecology and Biogeography. Read more...
Are you willing to team up for Climate Action in the Alps? Do you want to contribute to the climate-neutral and climate-resilient Alps vision? Join the Matchmaking Workshop of the Alpine Climate Board to take further steps towards the implementation of the Alpine Climate Target System 2050. Representatives of all sectors of activity in the Alps and from local to cross-border level are invited to embark on the pathways for action. Read more...
Guest editors Carina Hoorn, Luis Palazzesi, and Daniele Silvestro are inviting papers that focus on the relationships among mountain building, sedimentary processes, and biotic evolution in South America at different stages of the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. Read more...
Guest editors Ieva Misiune, Daniel Depellegrin, and Lukas Egarter Vigl are inviting contributions for a Springer Nature book on Exploring the Multiple Values of Nature - Connecting Ecosystems and People across Landscapes. In a section on mountain systems they are looking for contributions that analyze and promote mountains as integrated systems and deal with the unique challenges of these landscapes to increase their resilience and sustainability. Read more...
We all appreciate the fundamental importance of our mountains' biological richness. But what is the functional significance of this diversity? Why does this diversity really matter? These questions have been standing at the cradle of GMBA for the last 20 years and are rightfully asked by politicians, stakeholders, and the broader public alike. Today we invite you to join our new effort to compile examples that help answer them. Read more and contribute...
Papers explore ways of supporting girls’ education in rural Nepal; forest fires on the slopes of Mount Kenya; how commercial medicinal plant collection improves high-altitude livelihoods and how forest use practices impact landscape hydrology, both in Nepal; and how snow affects landslide vegetation patterns in Japan. Two more propose a multiscale transdisciplinary framework for advancing sustainability in mountain agriculture and a strategy for integrated biodiversity monitoring in high mountain ecosystems.
Wildflowers of Mount Everest is the first-ever wildflower identification app for Nepal. The richly illustrated app includes 557 species of wildflowers, shrubs, and trees and is meant for anybody who wants to identify or learn about plants in the Mount Everest region. Read more...
Mountains host a spectacular diversity of species. Yet current species distribution is only a snapshot in time that bears the memory of past geomorphological and climatic changes. Understanding past changes is key to interpret current patterns and inform mountain biodiversity conservation and management in the future. Read more about it in a short GMBA co-authored contribution in the latest issue of the PAGES magazine. Read more...
Due to the current situation, the XVIII International Colloquium on Soil Zoology (ICSZ) and the XV International Colloquium on Apterygota (ICA) hosted by Eurac Research in Bolzano has been postponed to March/April 2021! Read more and stay tuned...
Today, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), GRID-Arendal (GRIDA), Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA), Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), Mountain Partnership, Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, Secretariat of the Alpine Convention, Government of Austria, Government of Hungary, and Government of Poland are convening country delegates attending the Second meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in Rome to an informal mountain gathering. This gathering will serve as the occasion to launch the second version of the Policy Brief "Elevating Mountains in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework 2.0" co-developed by UNEP, GRIDA, GMBA, and MRI. 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...
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...
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..
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...
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 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!
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