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Human populations in the world's mountains: Spatio-temporal patterns and potential controls
James M Thornton1, Mark A Snethlage2, Roger Sayre3
1Mountain Research Initiative, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Plos One
|July 20, 2022
Summary
Mountain populations are substantial and growing, impacting ecosystems. Understanding these human-environment interactions is vital for addressing climate change challenges in mountain regions globally.
Area of Science:
- Environmental science
- Demography
- Social-ecological systems
Background:
- Mountain regions face profound environmental and societal consequences from climate change and shifting human demographics.
- Accurate quantification of mountain populations is essential for resource allocation and ecosystem protection.
- Existing analyses lack comprehensiveness and reproducibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an open workflow for quantifying the sensitivity of global and regional mountain population estimates.
- To explore relationships between population density and environmental factors across elevational bands.
- To provide insights for predicting future mountain population distributions under climate and demographic change.
Main Methods:
- Developed and implemented an open workflow to assess sensitivity of population estimates to different input datasets.
- Analyzed global and regional mountain population data over recent decades.
- Explored relationships between population density, climate, topography, and protected areas at sub-mountain range scales.
Main Results:
- Global mountain population estimates in 2015 varied widely, from 0.344 billion to 2.289 billion.
- Approximately 35% of mountain sub-regions experienced a population increase of at least twofold between 1975 and 2015.
- Population density was more strongly linked to climatic variables than topographic or protected-area factors at finer scales.
Conclusions:
- Substantial human populations inhabit mountains and are affected by environmental change.
- Data choices significantly influence mountain population estimates, highlighting the need for robust methodologies.
- Urgent action is needed to address the complex interactions between mountain climate, ecosystems, and human societies.
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