Mountains stand apart, literally – they’re islands rising high in a sea of lowlands. For many, they’re the place to reconnect to nature, to relax and to enjoy a clean environment and fresh air. The popularity of mountains during the current pandemic clearly showed the need of humans to enjoy nature. Mountains also provide us with many important goods, including wood, pastures for livestock, drinking water and clean air. All are provided by mountain ecosystems, through complex processes, that are maintained by the community of different species and their interactions between them and with the abiotic environment. Those species are numerous. They comprise invisible microorganisms, tiny plankton species, small plants, trees, cryptic reptiles and amphibians, swift birds, and mammals. Those species produce organic matter, bind CO