Mountainous regions are globally important, in part because they support large populations and are biodiverse. They are also characterized by enhanced vulnerability to anthropogenic pressures and sensitivity to climate change. This importance necessitates the development of a global reference network of long-term environmental and socioeconomic monitoring—mountain observatories. At present, monitoring is limited and unevenly distributed across mountain regions globally. Existing thematic networks do not fully support the generation of multidisciplinary knowledge required to inform decisions, enact drivers of sustainable development, and safeguard against losses. In this paper, the Mountain Observatories Working Group, established by the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) Science Leadership Council, identifies geographical and thematic gaps as well as recent advances in monitoring of relevant biophysical and socioeconomic variables in the mountains. We propose principles and ways of connecting existing initiatives, supporting emerging areas, and developing new mountain observatory networks regionally and, eventually, globally. Particularly in the data-poor regions, we aspire to build a community of researchers and practitioners in collaboration with the Global Network on Observations and Information in Mountain Environments, Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Mountains, a GEO Work Programme Initiative.

中文翻译：

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山区天文台：加强和连接全球社区的现状和前景

山区具有全球重要性，部分原因是它们支持大量人口并且生物多样性。它们还具有对人为压力的脆弱性和对气候变化的敏感性的增强。这种重要性需要开发一个长期环境和社会经济监测的全球参考网络——山地观测站。目前，全球山区监测有限且分布不均。现有的专题网络并不能完全支持生成决策所需的多学科知识，制定可持续发展的驱动因素，并防止损失。在本文中，由山地研究倡议 (MRI) 科学领导委员会成立的山地观测站工作组，确定地理和专题差距以及监测山区相关生物物理和社会经济变量的最新进展。我们提出了将现有倡议联系起来、支持新兴地区以及在区域乃至全球范围内开发新的山地观测站网络的原则和方法。特别是在数据匮乏的地区，我们渴望与全球山地环境观测和信息网络、地球观测组织 (GEO) 山地合作，建立一个研究人员和从业者社区，这是一项 GEO 工作计划倡议。并最终在全球范围内开发新的山区观测站网络。特别是在数据匮乏的地区，我们渴望与全球山地环境观测和信息网络、地球观测组织 (GEO) 山地合作，建立一个研究人员和从业者社区，这是一项 GEO 工作计划倡议。并最终在全球范围内开发新的山区观测站网络。特别是在数据匮乏的地区，我们渴望与全球山地环境观测和信息网络、地球观测组织 (GEO) 山地合作，建立一个研究人员和从业者社区，这是一项 GEO 工作计划倡议。