Regional Mountain Conference

Our goal is to foster debate through evaluation and analysis on the role that Nature-based Solutions (NbS) play in enhancing the resilience of rural livelihoods. Sustainable development acts as a critical and multidimensional indicator of biodiversity, reflecting the health of ecosystems that underpin human survival as well as social and economic systems. This issue is complex, as it encompasses socioeconomic, political, and environmental dimensions, requiring effective coordination among all stakeholders. Mountain regions, which host approximately 50% of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, provide a vast array of ecosystem services that support the livelihoods of millions of people. These ecosystems present a high number of endemic plant and animal species and deliver essential services, including water regulation, carbon sequestration, cultural values, and the maintenance of biologically diverse landscapes. However, mountain ecosystems are also on the front line of climate change. Rising temperatures, glacier retreat, and altered precipitation regimes are disrupting hydrological processes and ecosystem functioning, exacerbating natural hazards and constituting significant threats to biodiversity, livelihoods, and local communities. At the same time, many mountainous areas are experiencing increasing pressure from anthropogenic activities, particularly unsustainable agricultural and forestry practices. Traditional land-use systems that were historically in balance with natural ecosystems are being replaced by intensive monocultures, often driven by land abandonment linked to rural depopulation and population aging, followed by the introduction of non-native species. These dynamics are leading to significant changes in species composition, soil quality, and landscape heterogeneity, directly affecting biodiversity at both local and regional scales and highlighting the urgent need for measures that enhance the resilience of these socio-ecological systems. In this framework, the effects of environmental, agronomic, forestry, and socioeconomic pressures increasingly challenge not only long-term sustainability but also the cultural heritage embedded within mountain landscapes. Nature-based Solutions emerge as a promising approach to integrate ecological restoration with sustainable land management, strengthening adaptive capacity, enhancing ecosystem multifunctionality, and supporting governance frameworks that reconcile conservation goals with socioeconomic development.