The mountain environment is challenging to say the least. Rain, snow, radiation and high winds make survival here difficult and sometimes impossible. Heavy rainfall is one of the biggest threats to vegetation. Flowing water can wash away the thin soil and even cause landslides, especially where trees have been cut down for mining and other commercial activities. In areas where the soil is not held together by the trees anymore, landslides can sweep away whole sections of forest.
To add to this, acid rain can makes the soil unsuitable for plants to grow. Furthermore, snow and ice freeze the ground and kill young shoots. The wind is another factor that prevents vegetation from thriving here. Mountain winds are much stronger than winds in the lowlands. They can batter and pound the slopes at extremely high speeds that flatten out any plants or trees growing here.
Another major cause of concern is global warming and increasing temperatures. Warmer and longer summers are leading mountain grasses and plants to dry out and catch fire more easily. In recent years mountain fires have been breaking out in record numbers around the world, causing severe destruction to vegetation and wildlife.
Picture Credit : Google
