100 priority questions to feed the global mountain biodiversity research agenda
Assigned Session: FS 3.183: Data and methods for assessing knowledge and trends in mountain biodiversity and ecosystem worldwide
Abstract ID: 3.13081 | Not reviewed | Requested as: Talk | TBA | TBA
Stephanie Payne-Smith (1)
Davnah, Urbach (2, 3); Clara, Pissolito (4)
(1) Department of Plant Sciences and Afromontane Research Unit, University of the Free State, Phuthaditjhaba, 9866, South Africa, Kestell Road, 9800 Phuthaditjhaba, ZA
(2) University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland
(3) University of Lausanne, Ch. de l’Institut 18, 1967 Bramois/Sion, Switzerland
(4) Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andinopatagonico, Esquel 9200, Chubut, Argentina
Abstract
The corpus of scientific literature is growing exponentially, approaching 500 million pages for biodiversity. Since 2024, the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment network (GMBA) has been working on systematically mapping the growing corpus of mountain biodiversity literature, with the objective to issue a first-of-its-kind global state of mountain biodiversity knowledge assessment. Yet, the collation of thousands of annotated scientific articles allows for more than such an assessment: by applying effective text mining and analysis tools, a number of research questions can be asked across scales and taxonomic groups and addressed in collaboration with scientists worldwide. The GMBA set out to collect such questions, with the goal of curating a list of 100 top priority questions whose answers (i) advance fundamental/systems knowledge in global mountain biodiversity science, or (ii) advance actionable knowledge in mountain biodiversity management, conservation or policy, or (iii) address challenges in data and/or methods. The curation was performed based on a collaborative research prioritization method. Over 550 candidate questions were submitted by more than 100 scientists across 47 countries from all continents. After a preliminary round of sorting and cleaning to eliminate questions that did not meet the criteria to be mountain and/or biodiversity related, a total of 415 global and 47 regional questions were retained. These questions were then prioritized collectively by 64 of the scientists who initially submitted questions and grouped into knowledge categories. Here we present this list of 100 questions and share our experience with and the preliminary results of repeating a similar effort in the African context.
N/A | ||||||||
|