DEMNAS | Körner Bioclimatic Belts

DEMNAS | Körner Bioclimatic Belts

Level of Effort : Low

Körner’s Bioclimatic Belts provide a foundational framework for understanding how climate and vegetation change with elevation, especially in tropical mountain regions. Developed by plant ecologist Prof. Christian Körner, this classification emerged from decades of ecological research aimed at identifying universal patterns in mountain ecosystems. In tropical areas, where temperature decreases steadily with altitude, Körner’s system divides landscapes into distinct belts:

• Colline/Lowland (0–800 m),

• Sub-montane ( 800 - 1500 m)

• Montane (1500–3000 m),

• Subalpine (3000–3500 m),

• Alpine (3500–4500 m),

• Nival (>4500 m).

Each belt reflects shifts in ecological conditions—such as solar radiation, cloud presence, and tree growth limits—that directly influence biodiversity and land use potential.

What makes Körner’s system unique is its latitude-adjusted elevation thresholds, allowing consistent comparisons of ecosystems across tropical, temperate, and polar regions. In tropical landscapes, this approach is especially powerful for mapping climate-sensitive ecosystems like cloud forests and alpine grasslands. As climate change accelerates, applying Körner’s belts can help scientists and planners detect ecological shifts, assess vulnerability, and guide adaptive conservation strategies. Exploring these belts opens a valuable lens into tropical mountain resilience—and offers a robust tool for integrating ecology into spatial planning and climate research.

Data Source :

Name: DEMNAS

Publisher: BIG (Badan Informasi Geospasial)
Version: 2018 (latest version may vary)

Spatial Resolution : 0.27 arc-second (~8.25 meters at the equator)

File Format GeoTIFF