ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses research priorities emerging from national biodiversity strategies and action plans which more than 117 countries around the world are undertaking to meet their obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). CBD is one of the most important international legal instruments for the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable use of its components. Mountain areas, due to their inaccessibility, are the last refuge of many endangered and rare birds, butterflies, plants, and animals. A major problem faced at the national and international level is what elements of biodiversity should be conserved and what methodology should be used for ranking different priorities. In order to appreciate what might be the best approach for research in the future, it is necessary to elucidate what kind of research would be useful for national biodiversity planning. Information regarding mountains is highly concentrated in developed country institutions and capitals within developing countries.
