Climate warming in recent decades, which is largely attributed to human activities, has affected vegetation in tropical mountain regions of the world, says Jagadish Krishnaswamy.

Natural vegetation in different parts of the world, whether it is on the high mountains, tropical rain forests or deserts, has evolved in a particular climate with specific precipitation and temperature characteristics. There have been major changes in climate at timescales of tens of thousands of years in some regions due to glaciation and deglaciation cycles. However, climate characteristics often remain relatively stable for over several thousands of years, enabling distinctive vegetation types to evolve and maintain itself. Major changes in climate over shorter periods of time can thus have major impacts on the vegetation and all other biodiversity that exist in specific biomes or regions.