At its fourth meeting, held in 1998, the Conference of the Parties in its decision IV/16 selected mountain ecosystems as one of the items for in-depth consideration during its seventh meeting. In the same decision the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) and other subsidiary bodies were requested to prepare proposals for their programmes of work on this subject. At its seventh meeting, SBSTTA decided that mountain biological diversity would be the main theme for its eighth meeting.

Secretary prepare a draft programme of work on mountain biological diversity. In response to this decision, the present document contains proposed elements for a programme of work on mountain biological diversity. The goal of this draft programme of work is to promote the implementation of the overall objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity in natural and man-modified mountain ecosystems. Specifically, the proposed elements for a work programme focus on conservation and sustainable use; institutional and socio-economic enabling environment; and monitoring and assessment.

The Executive Secretary has prepared the present note listing examples of technologies relevant to mountain biological diversity, the main theme of the eighth meeting of SBSTTA, and also relevant to other thematic areas and cross-cutting themes.