Mountain Protection Resources and Organizations
International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) - Nepal
Map of important "Biodiversity Hotspots" in the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya (HKH) 4mb - The HKH region has 488 protected areas (IUCN categories I – VI, Heritage sites, Ramsar wetland sites and important bird areas, covering more than 1,6 million km2 and representing 39% of the region’s terrestrial area. This is highly significant, even if we have not yet the necessary climatic, hydrological, soil and land use data to understand the variability and vulnerability of biodiversity in a time of climate and environmental change.
Map of Transboundary Landscapes and Transects in the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya (HKH) 3.6mb- Taking into account the distance of around 3,500 km from the dry west to the humid east and the difference from the monsoon summer precipitation in the south to the boreal winter precipitation regime in the North over the Tibetan Plateau an efficient, a realistic data-gathering plan for the HKH has been devised. In order to obtain climatic, hydrological, soil and land use data to understand the variability and vulnerability of biodiversity in a time of climate and environmental change, regional conservation partners have decided to focus on these 4 transects and 7 transboundary complexes or landscapes.
Mountain Research Initiative (MRI)
Mountain Research and Development (MRD) publishes peer-reviewed articles presenting original research on mountain environments and people, sustainable mountain development, and mountain development experiences. Coverage ranges widely, from topics in the natural sciences to anthropological, economic and sociocultural issues; many papers are in one way or another related to mountain protected areas. The target audiences are the scientific community and policy- and decision-makers. MRD is an open access journal published by the International Mountain Society (IMS).
The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative promotes connectivity conservation along a 3200 kilometre extent of the Rocky Mountains in western North America. Underway since 1993, it is one of the most ambitious global efforts to maintain the conditions under which biodiversity will be resilient to changing climatic conditions. Learn more about the Yellowstone to Yukon effort at www.y2y.net.
Resources Himalaya - Award-winning organization in Kathmandu, Nepal. Their mission: to conserve the diversity of life in the Himalaya and to facilitate decisions so that nature in the Himalaya is secured and the benefits of conservation practices accrue to the poorest segment of the society.
The IUCN Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA) covers the region of West Asia including the countries of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Yemen.