Photo by Ana L. Dip Yordanoff showing the view from a vantage point across a small valley with a river. Across the river there are vineyards, surrounded by trees. A large, lone house sits on top of the ridge, against the background of another ridge and, further in the hazy distance, high mountains. The photo shows the expansion of viticulture in the valleys of northwest Argentina’s High Monte. The vineyard area is managed as a key tourist service, overlooked by the boutique winery, situated above the cultivation zone. This illustrates how new services are being established in the valley areas, shifting land use patterns and transforming local labor dynamics.

How is migration in northwest Argentina’s High Monte affecting land use? Ana L. Dip Yordanoff, @sofiananni.bsky.social, and Sofía Marinaro Fuentes show that valley areas with suitable farmland attract people, while highland areas face outmigration and a decline in livestock: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Cover of the book. It is taken up entirely by a photo that shows four women from behind, standing side by side in the grass, dressed in warm, mostly traditional clothes, facing Huayana Potosi mountain during a Challa ceremony. The title and authors are printed at the top, across the sky, and the logos of the publishers, UNESCO and IRD Éditions, are placed at the bottom, across the grass.

“The strongest feeling I had after reading the book was inspiration,” writes Mark Carey in his review of “The Voices of Glaciers” by Ignacio Palomo, Sofía Lana, Antoine Rabatel, and Oliver Dangles. Read the full review: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....
@ird-fr.bsky.social @unesco.bsky.social #MountainsMatter

Photo by Menale Wondie showing focus group discussions in Tara Gedam watershed in 2013. Three groups of men in local clothing are sitting in a harvested field, some discussing, some looking at printed-out materials and thinking, some taking notes. One man in a red T-shirt is squatting next to a collection of materials, also taking notes. A tree grows in the far corner of the field. A donkey is grazing in the background, and further in the background, hills are visible in the haze.

A new article by Menale Wondie and coauthors describes how they applied the analytic hierarchy process method to evaluate land management scenarios together with farmers, agricultural experts, and local decision-makers in the Ethiopian Highlands, enabling informed decisions: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Social media card with a background photo of an Andean mountain village in a grassy high-elevation valley, with some people walking on the main road and a snow-capped mountain visible in the far background, and the following text: Mountain Research and Development is looking for Editors-in-Chief to join the team! Apply now to help shape knowledge for sustainable mountain futures and strategically guide the journal! And the journal’s logo showing the upper corner of tilted stack of three papers, resembling a mountain range, and the text Mountain Research and Development. The village in the photo is near the Ausangate mountain in Pitumarca, Cusco, Peru. The photo was taken by Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel.

We are looking for 1–2 additional Editors-in-Chief!

Join our team to help shape knowledge for sustainable mountain futures and strategically guide our unique, not-for-profit, community-supported scientific journal aiming for societal impact! View full call: t.ly/4gxD7

#AcademicSky #MountainsMatter

Minami Furano, a small, municipally owned ski area with little outside tourism. The photo by Shumpei Kurosawa shows a gentle mountain slope at dusk, with a rope-tow ski lift and a piste on either side of it, each lined by forest, and the lift station in the foreground. It is past closing time, so there are no skiers. A man stands next to the lift station.

How can small, municipally run ski areas with aging infrastructure survive in still snow-rich Hokkaido, Japan? A study by Shumpei Kurosawa analyzes their adaptive strategies and showcases successful local initiatives while calling for supportive policies. Read his article:
doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Head-and-shoulder portraits of Biraj Adhikari, Sunetra Ghatak, H. Ricardo Grau, and Denis Samyn.

We’re excited to welcome topic editors Biraj Adhikari, Sunetra Ghatak, H. Ricardo Grau, and Denis Samyn to the editorial team! In the next 3 years, they will oversee the peer review and revision of submissions within their respective topics and promote MRD among their networks. Read more: t.ly/llqcS

In the editorial, associate editors @suwymann.bsky.social and @brigitteportner.bsky.social and guest editor Sarudzai Mutana outline trends and challenges currently affecting tourism in mountains and embed the issue’s articles in this wider context: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Cover of Mountain Research and Development, Vol 46, No 1. The cover photo, taken by Jean Miczka, shows the view down a rocky slope toward the Mer de Glace glacier, with numerous people walking on metal stairs and bridges connecting our vantage point to the glacier. This infrastructure is needed to keep the glacier accessible to tourists as it melts and exposes more and more steep rock.

Mountain Tourism—Trends and Transformations Toward Sustainability and Resilience: Articles in our new focus issue offer insights on efforts to adapt mountain tourism to climate change and to transform the sector for greater sustainability, equity, and resilience. See here: bioone.org/toc/mred/46/1

"Climate change adaptation should not be a journey into the unknown": The photo by Michele Maggi shows a view from a chairlift taking us and other tourists uphill into the fog. On one side of the lift, the slope is forested; the few deciduous trees among the evergreens have yellowed. On the other side of the lift, the slope is used as pasture, with a few cows grazing in the yellowed grass. A water tub for the cows, a fence, and three parked trucks are visible at the lower end of the pasture.

How do small tourism destinations in the European Alps translate climate adaptation strategies into concrete measures to sustain their economies and safeguard their mountain resources? Philipp Corradini and Agnese Moroni provide an analysis and identify promising pathways: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Small-scale farming in the hills of Makueni County, Kenya. A hilly landscape fades away in the haze. The clearly visible, gently sloping hill in the foreground is covered in a mosaic of terraced fields of maize and patches of shrubby woodlands, interspersed with a few houses. Photo by Theresa Tribaldos

During a research exchange in Kenya, Theresa Tribaldos and coauthors explored how future research could better harness synergies between food system sustainability and ecosystem restoration. They found including young people in farming and resource governance is crucial: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

A highly diverse flowering mountain meadow in sunny weather. A single tree and a distant mountain are visible in the background. Photo by Marlène Thibault

MRD’s International Editorial Board has started a new term. The editors thank all previous members for their highly valued service and warmly welcome several new members. We’re excited to work with such a diverse group of renowned experts from around the world! See who they are: t.ly/NtVQq

Discover top and trending #EnvironmentalScience research, featuring articles from the Journal of Vector Ecology @4sove.bsky.social, Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social, and Northwest Science @nwscience.bsky.social.

Free to read through March 31: bio-one.co/4jTWRiK

This ski lift and the adjacent piste in Vall de Núria, photographed in summer, each cut through the mountain forest, influencing ecosystem connectivity. They exemplify the complex interactions between human activity and nature in ski and mountain resorts. Photo by Joan Rabassa-Juvanteny.

In a new study in the Catalan Pyrenees, Joan Rabassa-Juvanteny and Bernat Claramunt-López show how accounting for #naturalcapital in mountain resorts can strengthen sustainability, resilience, and responsible tourism management under climate change: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....
@creaf.cat @uab.cat

Herders graze sheep and goats on an alpine pasture in the Eastern Hindu Kush. Vegetation is fairly sparse, and a ravine and a steep mountainside are visible in the background. Photo by Zahir Ahmad

... and if you're particularly interested in #mountain pastoralism and rangelands, see here for a list of all MRD articles on that topic, including the ones from our 2021 focus issue on "Pastoralism and Rangelands in Mountains":
t.ly/RLoW7

Photo by Zahir Ahmad

Thanks to @bioone.bsky.social for showcasing our article on #pastoralism in Ladakh’s Changthang region!

Arif Pandit and coauthors show how strategies that regulate grazing while respecting pastoralists' stewardship can help sustain this ancient culture.

Read this and more articles on #rangelands 👇🏽

Traffic stops on the National Highway in Kinnaur, Western Himalaya, as a landslide happening around the bend fills the air with dust. The Highway is carved into a very steep, rocky slope. Four vehicles are standing still, a few people are standing outside of them, waiting. Photo © Aghaghia Rahimzadeh

“Poorly planned tourism and infrastructure development heighten climate risks in Kinnaur, Western Himalaya. Locally led, equitable, and culturally and ecologically grounded sustainable approaches are needed,” says Aghaghia Rahimzadeh. Read her ethnographic study: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Congratulations to M. Pütz, A. Schindelegger, C. Meyer, and H. Job on making it to BioOne's Top & Trending collection!👇🏻

Their article discusses the role of spatial planning in energy transitions in the European Alps, based on debates in 🇦🇹, 🇩🇪, and 🇨🇭, and proposes a development and policy agenda.

A wooden cross with a bench and a small wooden shrine with a statue of the Virgin Mary mark Niederl, a mountain pass on the Stubaier Höhenweg trail in the Austrian Alps. It leads across a fairly steep, rocky and partly grassy ridge with a rocky summit next to it. Another, parallel mountain range is visible in the background. Hot summer temperatures could make hiking here more taxing. Photo by Laura Barraclough.

How do summer tourists experience forest ecosystem services under climate change? Laura Barraclough and Katharina Pöll examined this in Austria’s Stubai valley. They provide insights that can guide management of ecosystem services and tourist offerings. Read their article: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Saleinaz Mountain Hut in the Swiss Alps is perched high above a steep slope, facing the cliffs and glaciers of Mont Dolent. The hut is small and built of stone, with a metal roof and two wooden extensions attached. Next to it is a small terrace with two tables and a few chairs. Photo by Jean Miczka.

A new article by Jean Miczka and colleagues analyzes how mountain huts in the western European Alps are being adapted to climate change, what the challenges are, and how adaptation could be improved. Recommendations include ensuring long-term coordination. Find out more: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

The Bow Falls area of Banff National Park reflects the intersection of climate change, tourism, and guiding practice. As landscapes shift and visitor pressures evolve, guides and institutions face complex questions of adaptation, resilience, and policy response in Canada’s most visited mountain destinations. The photo by Katherine Hanly shows a vast glaciated and snow-covered landscape in the background, with a waterfall running into a turquoise lake enclosed by rocky cliffs, from which another waterfall runs into a partly forested valley below.

Mountain guides in the Canadian Rockies face growing climate risks. Katherine Hanly and Graham McDowell show that their adaptive capacity is shaped by social factors and institutional barriers. They point to ways of strengthening guides’ resilience and livelihoods. Read more: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Cover page of Mountain Research and Development, Volume 45, Number 4. The cover photo by Dipak Raj Rai shows countless pieces of chhurpi—a hard cheese made from yak buttermilk—stored on overhead racks in a dark room with an earthen floor, stone walls, and a black wooden ceiling. The room also contains a wooden chair, baskets, and various other utensils. The chhurpi was produced by a private dairy in Gatlang, Nepal. While the state-supported marketization of yak products has boosted some households’ income, it is simultaneously eroding traditional sustainable herding practices and causing environmental degradation, as shown in the article by Indra Mani Rai and colleagues in this issue.

Another issue is complete! Articles examine changes in yak herding in Nepal, challenges in implementing science–society interaction policies in mountain biosphere reserves worldwide, and topography’s role in socioeconomic development in the European Alps. Read the issue: bioone.org/toc/mred/45/4

University students engage in a landscape assessment during a field excursion in the Dedoplistskaro Biosphere Reserve, Georgia, guided by a local ranger. They are standing in a circle in a green meadow on a gently sloping ridge, listening to the ranger’s explanations. A wide and flat valley stretches out in the background, lined by another green mountain ridge on its far side. Photo by Alexander Mitrofanenko.

In a study of science–society interactions in 18 mountain biosphere reserves across 4 continents, A. Mitrofanenko and coauthors find that the reserves hold great potential to link science and society in advancing sustainability—but tapping it requires consistent support. doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Where relief is dominant: Switzerland’s Lauterbrunnen is an example of a settlement in a topographically challenging environment. The summer scene photographed by Markus Lambracht shows part of the village, including its church, and the vertical cliffs, hundreds of meters high, towering over the narrow valley on both sides. The snowy peaks of the high alps are visible above the cliffs.

A new article by M. Lambracht and T. Chilla of @fau.de examines the interplay between topography and socioeconomic factors in the European Alps. It shows that development in mountain regions is never determined by topography alone; other factors are also key. Get the details: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Cover of the book entitled Anima: A Wild Pastoral, written by Kapka Kassabova. It shows a photo of a herd of sheep in steep mountain terrain against a background of mountains and valleys fading into the distance.

“This book is an ethnographic delight,” writes Peter Phillimore in his review of “Anima: A Wild Pastoral” by Kapka Kassabova. The book describes the lives of transhumant pastoralists and their animals in Bulgaria’s Pirin mountains. Read the review: doi.org/10.1659/mrd.... @jonathancape.bsky.social

A sunlit brook at the center of Mount Mabu forest, the largest rainforest in Southern Africa, with mossy rocks emerging from the water and lush trees and ferns surrounding it. Photo by Julian Bayliss.

In a new article, the #Afromontane Research Unit, University of the Free State, South Africa, presents the #Mozambique Mountain Initiative, a collaborative platform that brings together practitioners involved in the sustainable management of Mozambique’s mountain ecosystems: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Innovative adaptive practices in mountain communities often emerge from local resource constraints and community needs, as highlighted by Zhou and He in their contribution to this issue. In Guangming village, Yunnan, China, farmer cooperatives have succeeded in enhancing creation of value added in the local walnut trade by establishing processing facilities, such as this drying facility, in the village. The photo by Weijia Zhou shows a man shoveling walnuts in the drying room. The nuts lie in heaps on an aerated wire mesh floor resting on evenly spaced-out wooden beams; some nuts are packed in mesh bags. The room has light gray walls and a ceiling made of wooden beams.

2/2 In their guest editorial, Jörg Balsiger, Anne B. Zimmermann, João C. Azevedo, and Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt not only present the issue’s articles but also reflect on different framings of innovation and propose considering it as a multidimensional, context-specific concept: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Cover of Mountain Research and Development Vol 45, No 3, with a photo by Gusztáv Nemes showing a henhouse made of mud, wood, straw, and stones to keep the animals cool, warm, and safe. It is fitted with a solar-panel-driven door that closes automatically at sunset to keep foxes out. This is an example of hybrid innovation—merging old and new technology—found in a mountain product value chain in Hungary that was among the many mountain product value chains analyzed in one of the articles in the issue.

1/2 How can innovation contribute to sustainability in mountains? Articles in this focus issue explore the question from different angles, providing insights from China and various European mountain contexts and showcasing the diversity of the concept. Have a look: bioone.org/toc/mred/45/3

View of Valle d’Aosta from Bard Fortress. Photo by Dario Musolino. The flat valley floor with green fields, some trees, and small towns has a powerline, a highway, the river Dora Baltea, and a road running along it. It is nested between steep mountains consisting partly of forested slopes and partly of bare cliffs and rock faces. The stone roof of the fortress is visible in the foreground.

Does a circular economy lend itself as a sustainable way forward for high mountain regions? In a Delphi survey among stakeholders in Valle d’Aosta, Italy, Domenico Tassone and Dario Musolino found it would—but transitioning requires cultural change and targeted policies: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

A snowy, sunny winter scenery, with the upper station of a ski lift and some skiers the foreground and several hills with numerous wind turbines in the background. These are the wind farms of Pretul, Steinriegel, and Hochpürtschling in Styria, Austria. A total of 48 wind turbines produce 115 MW, providing approximately 75,000 households with electricity. © Schindelegger 2020

How can Alpine regions transition to renewables while preserving landscapes and open spaces? Marco Pütz and colleagues discuss the role of spatial planning and propose an agenda for future development and governance: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....
@wslresearch.bsky.social @bokuvienna.bsky.social

Social media card with a background photo of snow-covered mountains towering over a landscape of rocks, grass, and fir trees, taken by Susanne Wymann von Dach, and the following text: “Mountain Research and Development is looking for Topic Editors to join the editorial team! Apply now and help shape knowledge for sustainable mountain futures!” At the bottom right is the journal’s logo showing the upper left corner of a tilted stack of three papers, resembling a mountain range, and the text “Mountain Research and Development.”

ICYMI: We are looking for topic editors to join the team!
Help shape knowledge for sustainable mountain futures and be part of a unique, not-for-profit, community-supported scientific journal aiming for societal impact!

Find out more and apply by 24 Oct: t.ly/PAzBF

#AcademicSky #MountainsMatter