Covering about 12.5% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface, mountains have great value for people and nature. They provide habitat for one-third of terrestrial species diversity, have irreplaceable cultural and spiritual worth to humans, and are a source of fresh water for nearly 2 billion people. To date, progress on meeting policy goals to protect mountain systems has been slow; however, in 2019, several major reports on the contributions alpine environments make to life on Earth were produced by international agencies. These reports call for transformative change in decision making to address problems of sustainability in mountain ecosystems. We consider prospects for such change by reviewing several international partnerships focused on mountains. We then spotlight the Mountain Futures Initiative, which provides multiple examples of innovative local/regional research that give special focus to linking science with local livelihood support. Communities in alpine regions will continue to require assistance if they are to adapt to the environmental and social shifts characteristic of life in the Anthropocene.

中文翻译：

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山地未来：在耦合的社会-生态系统中寻求创新适应

山脉约占地球陆地表面的 12.5%，对人和自然具有重要价值。它们为三分之一的陆地物种多样性提供栖息地，对人类具有不可替代的文化和精神价值，是近 20 亿人的淡水来源。迄今为止，在实现保护山区系统的政策目标方面进展缓慢；然而，在 2019 年，国际机构编写了几份关于高山环境对地球生命的贡献的主要报告。这些报告呼吁对决策进行变革，以解决山区生态系统的可持续性问题。我们通过审查几个以山区为重点的国际伙伴关系来考虑这种变化的前景。然后我们重点关注山区未来倡议，它提供了多个创新地方/区域研究的例子，特别关注将科学与当地生计支持联系起来。高山地区的社区如果要适应人类世生活的环境和社会变化特征，将继续需要援助。