Mountain Diversity

Mountain Diversity: Dynamics of High-Altitude Environments

explores the highly biodiverse, culturally rich, and often threatened mountain regions that comprise a quarter of the world's continental land surface. Mountains cover only 25% of global continental land surface yet are home to more than 85% of the world's amphibians, birds, and mammals, many of which are entirely restricted to mountains. Despite their importance as stores of biodiversity and drivers of global sustainability, mountains are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and how these interact with human populations and their livelihoods.

Written by a leading expert in tropical mountain ecology, this book explores the processes that define the world's high-altitude areas in an easily digestible manner. Prof. Marchant collates paleoecological, archaeological, historical, and contemporary insights on mountain functioning to synthesize the interactions between mountain societies, ecosystems, and environments. Many mountain ranges remain completely unprotected despite their importance as storehouses of biodiversity and providing goods and services to the world, not least water, food and energy. Mountains are under increasing threat via population growth, climatic extremes, and land use changes. This book provides insight to what underpins current biodiversity across the world's mountains and uses this information to identify priorities for new ways to understand, value, protect, and conserve mountain areas for future generations.

Key Topics

Summarizes latest research on processes driving high-altitude biodiversity

Describes intersection between mountain environments and plant, amphibian, insect, bird, and mammalian biodiversity

Examines changes in mountain climate and biodiversity over time

Explores challenges faced by mountain ecosystems and poses solutions for the sustainable futures of these vital planetary systems