Navigating Change in Fragile Mountain Systems

The universal value of mountains is inseparable from the threats they face. Mountain ecosystems are increasingly exposed to the triple planetary crisis: climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss. In mountain areas, this appears through glacier retreat, permafrost thaw, changing snow regimes, habitat fragmentation, forest stress, soil erosion, land degradation, fire risk, intensifying natural hazards, water stress and implications for water supply in lowland areas. (UNESCO / WNMBR Policy Brief on Mountain Biosphere Reserves).

The threats are also social, demographic and territorial. Many mountain communities face demographic ageing, outmigration, limited access to services, economic fragility, land abandonment and marginalisation in public policy. As agricultural and pastoral systems decline, landscapes lose the active management that has historically maintained biodiversity, soil stability, fire prevention and cultural continuity.

When mountain communities weaken, landscapes also weaken. Terraces collapse, grazing systems disappear, forests become less actively managed, water structures are abandoned, local varieties are lost and cultural knowledge is interrupted. Environmental degradation weakens livelihoods, while demographic and economic decline reduces the capacity of communities to care for mountain territories.

This creates a dangerous cycle: ecological degradation weakens local livelihoods, while demographic and economic decline reduces the capacity of communities to care for mountain landscapes. Mountain development must address ecological resilience and community resilience together.

For MountMed, the challenge is to move from vulnerability to territorial capacity; from fragmented interventions to integrated strategies; from marginalisation to renewal.