The long-term monitoring and research program GLORIA is dedicated to capturing and assessing anthropogenous changes (Global Change, esp. climate change) in biodiversity in mountain ecosystems across the world. The coordination and scientific lead is based in Austria (ÖAW-IGF, BOKU-DIB), the network of monitoring stations is present in about 130 mountain regions on six continents. GLORIA is the only internationally standardized global monitoring program of biodiversity in mountain regions based on permanently monitored areas. The quality-controlled continuation and expansion of this essential program of ecological climate research is highly relevant in the context of rapid anthropogenous changes in the biosphere and will become even more essential in the coming years and decades.