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 connect 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 (A@A) programme, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Solutions database for adaptation in mountains

As part of this work the A@A team have developed (and continue to build) the Adaptation at Altitude Solutions Portal–a global database of climate change adaptation (CCA) solutions for mountain regions. The Solutions Portal shares detailed information about tried and tested climate change adaptation solutions for mountain regions, encourages knowledge exchange, and supports collaborations.Find out more about how to contribute to the Solutions Portal.

Adaptation at Altitude Knowledge Network: Join our network!

The A@A Knowledge Networkseeks to encourage communication between stakeholders working on and experiencing climate change adaptation in mountainous regions across the globe and support thesharing of successful solutions for adaptation in mountains, and their translation and uptake for use in other locations.

Keep up to date with the A@A Knowledge Network activities here.

Other ways to 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 Rosie Witton.
• To explore ongoing conversations, make an announcement or start a discussion, visit the CCA in Mountains discussion forum.