The Mountain Protected Areas Network

 

The Mountain Protected Areas Network is a global network of over 450 mountain experts devoted to preserving and protecting our precious mountain regions of the world. It is led by a team of experts to work on a wide range of mountain protection issues.

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How we relate to the IUCN

IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network. It is a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member organizations and over 10,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160 countries.

IUCN helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN supports scientific research; manages field projects all over the world; and brings governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws and best practice.

IUCN does much of its work through its six Commissions. They assess the state of the world’s natural resources and provide knowledge and policy advice on conservation issues.

Our Mountains Biome mission

The IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas focuses on two major biomes, marine and mountain. We carry out the work of the Mountains Biome, which was established by the IUCN in 1992 with the goals of:

1. Having IUCN play a strong role in the Mountain Agenda follow up on Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 from the Rio Earth Summit.

2. Developing a support and exchange network of protected area managers, researchers and other professionals dealing with mountain protected areas who share common issues because of the nature of these three-dimensional earth features.

3. With the Network, promoting a greater awareness of values of mountain protected areas (MtPAs) among the international community of governments, environmental NGOs, donors and the general public.

Here are some more links to information about our network and what we are doing to protect the world's crucially important Mountain Biome. As you explore this website you will learn about the nature and scope our work, including our Mountains Strategic Plans and Reports.