About 10 per cent of the world's population depends on mountain resources. A much larger percentage draws on other mountain resources, including and especially water. Mountains are a storehouse of biological diversity and endangered species. Two programme areas are included in this chapter to further elaborate the problem of fragile ecosystems with regard to all mountains of the world. Mountains are highly vulnerable to human and natural ecological imbalance.
Mountains are the areas most sensitive to all climatic changes in the atmosphere.
Specific information on ecology, natural resource potential and socio-economic activities is essential. Mountain and hillside areas hold a rich variety of ecological systems. Because of their vertical dimensions, mountains create gradients of temperature, precipitation and insolation. There is, however, a lack of knowledge of mountain ecosystems. The creation of a global mountain database is therefore vital for launching programmes that contribute to the sustainable development of mountain ecosystems.