Outlook on climate change adaptation in the Tropical Andes mountains

CASE STUDY

Monitoring climate change impacts on mountain biodiversity in the Andean Highlands (GLORIA-Andes)

The impact of climate change is a major long- term threat to biodiversity in mountain regions around the world. Nevertheless, information on how climate change threatens biodiversity in the Andean highlands is lacking. This includes a lack of long-term observations suitable to establish a baseline for comparison with the predicted climate change impacts. To address this need, the GLORIA Research Program (Global Observation Research Initiative In Alpine Environments) was established as a global effort for long-term observation and

comparative study of climate change impacts on highland biodiversity. Through coordinated efforts of CONDESAN, the General Secretariat of the Andean Community (SGCAN) and several South American research centres, the High Andes Biodiversity Monitoring Network was created in 2010, in the framework of the GLORIAGlobal Initiative.The objective of this network is to provide technical assistance to operators of South American sites, to ensure their sustainability in the long term, and to produce regional outlooks aimed at

supporting the design of adaptation measures and policies under an ecosystem-based approach. At present, the network has promoted the establishment of 12 GLORIA sites in five countries, which cover more than 5000 km from the EasternAndes of Colombia, through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, to the Argentinean highlands at the limit of the Tropical Andes Ecoregion. Along this huge area, more than 800 vascular species are monitored, making it the biggest biodiversity and climate change research network in the Andes.

Grasslands and the Sincholagua Volcano, Ecuador

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