Mountain biodiversity is uniquely rich and important for ecosystem services, human wellbeing, and for global sustainability, but it is also increasingly threatened. Accordingly, its protection has been internationally recognized, for example in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Agenda (SDG 15.4) and through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Work Program on Mountain Biodiversity. Yet, neither the state of our knowledge about mountain biodiversity nor current trends in mountain biodiversity have to date been systematically synthesised, globally or regionally. No assessment exists yet that taps into the wealth of information that has become available on mountains, their ecosystems, and their species.

Objectives

The Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment has the ambition to close this gap with a dual assessment of (i) mountain biodiversity research and of (ii) current trends in mountain biodiversity.
Methodologically, the former consists in a systematic mapping study with the aim to achieve an overview of mountain biodiversity research and identify research trends and gaps. The latter consists in a systematic literature review, with a focus on gathering and synthesising evidence that can be corroborated and evaluated based on the analysis of actual data and expert knowledge.

Methods

The assessment will be structured by taxonomic group and by world region. The taxonomic groups considered are: procaryotes and protists, fungi, invertebrates, plants, fish, reptiles and amphibians, birds, and mammals. As a first test of the methodology and a proof of concept, we will start with the assessment of mountain mammals, with a focus on Africa. This first effort will be performed in collaboration with members of the African hub of GMBA. More details will follow.

Timeline

The assessment was launched in June 2024 with a first expert workshop and is expected to be concluded by December 2028.