A mountain range such as the Carpathians encompasses transboundary ecosystems, which play a critical role for providing essential goods and services, including water supply, biodiversity, leisure and landscape, and are important income sources for communities through agriculture, tourism, health and the use of natural resources. Agricultural and forest ecosystem services also provide a crucial component for carbon sequestration which stresses the importance of sustainable practices for protection and management towards their essential contribution for climate regulation. While climate change and variability in mountain systems have had impacts on lowland communities throughout human history, the needs and ability to track and manage these impacts has majorly emerged in recent decades. 

The transboundary dimension of climate change and its corresponding risks need to be better understood to ensure effective collaboration towards achieving global goals on climate change (e.g. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement), as well as the Sustainable Development Goals. Climate impacts in one country can create risks and opportunities – and therefore may require adaptation – in other countries, due to cross- border connectivity within regions and globally. 

As mountains are particularly vulnerable to climate change, protecting important sites for mountain biodiversity is vital for ensuring long term and sustainable use of mountain natural resources and their services especially in the Carpathians with their large number of protected ecosystems and species. 

In order to steer progress towards building resilience and supporting collaborative action on climate change in the Carpathians, a structured approach for setting priorities, defining strategic goals and finding solutions in response to accelerating tendencies of climate risks and impacts is needed. 

Article 12bis of the Carpathian Convention pursues climate change mitigation and adaptation across all sectors relevant to the Carpathians, especially in the most vulnerable areas. Such cross-sectoral integration involves transnational cooperation, public participation, local adaptation planning processes and more. The Article also requires Parties to undertake measures that reduce adverse effects of climate change.