Deforestation
Though deforestation is more commonly associated with tropical areas, mountain trees have also been unsustainably cleared for farming, mining and logging. In the mountains of southwest China, for instance, only 8% of original forest remains. When forest cover is lost, runoff and soil erosion increase, causing landslides, avalanches and floods. Like their tropical counterparts, mountain forests store large quantities of carbon; their loss exacerbates climate change.