Mountain Species and Ecosystems Face Threats from Climate Change

As our climate changes, mountain species may be facing an uphill climb. Scientists have taken a closer look at mountain ecosystems and have examined the issues threatening wildlife in these systems in order to create better targeted conservation efforts.

Mountains cover about 27 percent of the earth's surface. Despite some degree of protection due to the fact that they aren't easily accessed, though, mountain regions are still fragile ecosystems that are threatened by human-related impacts such as logging and erosion, acid deposition and climate change.

"Scientists and conservationists have long recognized the importance of mountains for both biodiversity and human well-being," said Charles Chester, co-author of the new study, in a news release. "If we are going to achieve lasting protection of wildlife and resources such as water, mountains have to be pre-eminent in our thinking and implementation of conservation measures."

The scientists examined the concept and important of maintaining connectivity and corridor ecology. They also looked at the effects of climate change and its impact on high elevation environments.

So what did they find? It turns out that it's important for conservationists to see climate change not as one of numerous independent variables acting on species survival in mountains, but rather as an exacerbating force over many direct human alterations to these areas.

"The distribution of biodiversity in mountain ecosystems is determined by such things as elevation and slope," said Jodi Hilty, co-author of the new study, in a news release. "These variables and relative intactedness of these ecosystems is less likely to be a critical factor in maintaining the health of montane species in the face of climate change."

The findings reveal a little bit more about what conservationists need to watch out for in the face of climate change and other threats. This could help them better protect mountain ecosystems in the future.

The findings are published in the Journal of Mountain Ecology.