Are there already any clear signs of the impact of climate change on mountain ecosystems?
Yes, on a number of different levels. In fact, mountains are particularly useful sites to study the impact of climate change on the environment. The first tangible indicator is the melting of glaciers. This phenomenon is already clearly happening in places like the Glacier National Park in the Rockies (USA), which is also a biosphere reserve, and the summit of Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), which is on the World Heritage List. But glaciers everywhere are being affected, and they have been shrinking for several years. The second observable phenomenon started at the beginning of the 20th century and is still continuing today. It is particularly evident in the Alps and involves the migration of certain species of plant, which are now found at altitudes at which they were never able to grow before, because of the harsh climate. Finally, some species of plant and animal are threatened with extinction, while others have already disappeared, like the Golden Toad, which used to live in the high altit
