Biodiversity Seminar: Mountain biodiversity in science and policy

In recent years, the volume, coverage, and accessibility of biodiversity data and information have been steadily increasing. This is the case also in mountains, where the amount of data, knowledge, and publications on mountain species and ecosystems have grown rapidly. Such developments are particularly timely in view of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Agenda and the new targets agreed upon in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which call for reporting on biodiversity protection also in mountains. In my presentation, I will first introduce the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment research network before building on the work it performs to give an overview (i) of the current state of knowledge and research on mountain biodiversity in the face of global change and (ii) of current efforts and options to support science-based policy making for mountain biodiversity.  

Davnah Urbach is an evolutionary biologist by training. After a PhD in Lausanne, post-docs in Austria and the US, and a few years in the field of life sciences and wireless communications, she now serves as the executive director of the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA), a project of the Swiss Academy of Sciences hosted by the University of Bern. Working at the interface between science, policy, and society, Davnah applies research, synthesis, coordination, and communication skills to support the work of an international community of mountain biodiversity scientists and practitioners. Davnah is the mother of a 10-year old girl with whom she shares her passion for and commitment to nature and sustainability.

Subset of relevant publications:

1. Ly A., Snethlage M., Geschke J., ..., Urbach D (2023). Subnational biodiversity reporting metrics for mountain ecosystems. Nature Sustainability. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01232-3
2. Snethlage M.A., Geschke J., Spehn E.M., Ranipeta A., Yoccoz N.G., Körner Ch., Jetz W., Fischer M., Urbach, D. (2022). A hierarchical inventory of the world’s mountains for global comparative mountain science. Nature Scientific Data 9:149. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-022-01256-y
3. Payne D, Spehn E.M., Prescott G.W., Geschke J., Snethlage M., Fischer M. (2020). Mountain biodiversity is central for sustainable development, in mountains and beyond. One Earth 3(5): 530-533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2020.10.013
4. Payne D., Snethlage M., Geschke J., Spehn E.M., Fischer M. (2020). Nature and people in the Andes, East African Mountains, European Alps, and Hindu Kush Himalaya: current research and future directions. Mountain Research and Development 40(2): A1-A14. https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-19-00075.1

Our seminars are hybrid. Please send an email to events-biodiversity(at)wsl.ch if you would like to get access to the live stream.

The Biodiversity Seminar Series are organized by the WSL Biodiversity Center. Every two weeks, we aim to host a seminar speaker that presents research or outreach on topics relevant to the biodiversity community at WSL. The seminars are public and are usually broadcasted online.

To find out more about the WSL Biodiversity Center and a complete list of events, please visit our website. 

Please send an email to events-biodiversity(at)wsl.ch if you would like to be updated on the activities of the WSL Biodiversity Center.