Mountains occupy nearly a quarter of the global land surface and are home to 12 percent of the world’s population. They compress a wide range of climates and ecosystems into a relatively small area, resulting in an extremely high level of biodiversity. Half of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots are found in mountain areas. Much of the important genetic and agrobiodiversity found in the mountains is not found elsewhere. In comparison to lowland areas, mountains are richer in species and their peaks form isolated ‘islands’ of suitable habitat.
