The Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA), a part of the DIVERSITAS international programme of biodiversity science, aims to undertake a global assessment of the biological richness of high-elevation biota and to explain the causes of biological richness in mountains as well as changes in this richness over time. Because changes in biodiversity most often result from human land use, assessment of land management consequences is a specific GMBA goal. Upland grazing, often facilitated by fire management, is the most widespread use of mountain terrain and is often followed by erosion and a greater risk to valley and foreland environments. Cultivation of formerly pristine areas and intensification of agriculture in montane areas are often associated with a loss of mountain biodiversity. Both problems are most severe in the tropics and subtropics.
