Conférences

Mountains sentinels of climate change

Conférence présentée par  Dirk S. Schmeller, Professor for Conservation Biology,  AXA Chair Functional Mountain Ecology-

Laboratoire ECOLAB - Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées Toulouse

Mountains are home to billions of humans around the world. Mountains also make essential ecosystem services available: acting as water towers of the world, they provide freshwater to many lowland regions for domestic use, irrigation, hydropower, food production or industry. They provide living space to unique flora and fauna, critical habitat for rare and endangered species, and generally are biodiversity rich. Mountains are very fragile environments and are among the regions that are most sensitive to climate change and to the impacts of human activities.

Climate change is a worldwide threat, but its impact on mountains is particularly strong and troubling. High elevation areas tend to experience intensified climate-change induced warming and weather extremes. Mountains are considered to be “sentinels of change”, since they respond rapidly and intensely to climatic and environmental modifications, with the danger of losing essential services, and menace the well-being of people