Michiel van Noppen Photography

The ’Escalator to Extinction' is more than just a catchy phrase – it's a stark reality. Species are on the move to higher elevations to escape the heat of warming climates, eventually leading to mountaintop extinctions, especially in tropical mountains - the most biodiverse regions on Earth.

What does this mean for biodiversity? In 2025, Dr. Ben Freeman and Dr. Sam Jones at Georgia Institute of Technology will lead expeditions to re-survey bird communities in tropical montane ecosystems along the Barva Transect in Braulio Carrillo, Costa Rica.

The ‘Escalator to Extinction’ represents a prevailing threat to biodiversity globally, but especially in the most biodiverse environments on the planet per unit area - tropical mountains. This ‘Escalator to Extinction’ transcends geographical boundaries, addressing the global issue of mountain-dwelling species fleeing to higher ground to seek refuge. Despite this critical importance, the escalator remains poorly studied, let alone understood, and is still limited to a handful of studies.