It is not only the diversity of natural mountain species that is of value to humankind, both intrinsically and as a source of wild foods such as mushrooms, game and birds, and many other non-timber forest products. Mountains are also important as centres of crop diversity.The maintenance and expansion of mountain populations in many parts of the world have been made possible by the introduction of potatoes and maize from Latin America. The original precursors of wheat came from the mountains of the Near East.UTTING MOUNTAINS ON THE AGENDA. The global importance of mountains has only recently been widely recognized. While scientists have been active in mountain regions for over two centuries, each typically focused on his or her own specialization in one or more mountain valleys or ranges.