The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20) to be held in June 2012 will have green economy as one of its two main themes. This paper has been prepared to strengthen arguments for discussing mountain issues at Rio+20 and in other global discourses.

The report considers diversity of biological components, including wild and domesticated, social and ecological systems prevailing in the NE States of India and provides insight on hitherto underexplored biological resources with potential role in food security and the improvement of rural livelihoods towards adaptation to changing climate.

This paper looks at the progress made in the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in the eight countries of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region using the national reports to the CBD as the primary source.

Glaciers are in rapid decline and loss of these glaciers will have profoundly negative impacts on climate and human life, according to this published report by scientific working group commissioned by the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Science.

Around half of the world’s population depends directly or indirectly on mountain resources for different products and services. Having a means for economic valuation of these services will help increase recognition of their value and provide a way of ensuring fair distribution of the costs and benefits of conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.

This Framework for Community-Based Climate Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments in Mountain Areas provides an analytical framework and methodology for assessing environmental and socioeconomic changes affecting the livelihoods of rural, natural resource dependent communities living in mountainous environments.

This report outlines status and trends of high mountain glaciers in relation to climate change, identifies challenges and knowledge gaps, and finally makes recommendations for adaptation, research and policy.