FS 3.215: Conservation of mountain ecosystems in the 2030 Agenda

Agenda 2030 highlights the significance of mountain ecosystems in the category Life on Land (Sustainable Development Goal 15), in which an objective is “to ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development”. About 15% of mountainous land area is covered by forests, and mountain forests involve 28% of the world’s forests. On the one hand, native forests give more than a fifth of rural households’ livelihoods. Mountain forests can offer ways out of poverty if forest products are exploited sustainably. Also, they contribute to human welfare because of functions such as climate and hydrological services given at regional and global scales. On the other hand, mountain forests have high biodiversity, and many of them are protected under different conservation figures. Depending on it and the degree of involvement of local communities, access to forest resources can be limited and trade-offs between conservation and poverty alleviation could be created. Options to ensure local communities benefit from protected areas include ecotourism, sustainable use of forest products, and zoning to include local and community-only use areas. Changes in climate requirements could influence disturbances of forest ecosystems. Global change alters site properties and could shift tree species ranges as well as forest communities to mixtures of unknown species, affecting potential vegetation.