Mountain ecosystems and the human communities that inhabit them deliver critical resources — such as fresh water and timber — to over half the planet's human population. Despite their importance, there has been no global assessment of threats to mountain systems, even as they face unprecedented challenges to their sustainability. With survey data from 57 mountain sites worldwide, a new publication tests our understanding of the types of stresses that are threatening mountain systems, as well as the resources and benefits that come from mountains. 

The ideas presented in this paper were first developed at a workshop supported by the Mountain Research Initiative. 


Paper Abstract

Mountain social‐ecological systems (MtSES) are vital to humanity, providing ecosystem services to over half the planet's human population. Despite their importance, there has been no global assessment of threats to MtSES, even as they face unprecedented challenges to their sustainability. With survey data from 57 MtSES sites worldwide, the paper authors test a conceptual model of the types and scales of stressors and ecosystem services in MtSES and explore their distinct configurations according to their primary economic orientation and land use. The authors find that MtSES worldwide are experiencing both gradual and abrupt climatic, economic, and governance changes, with policies made by outsiders as the most ubiquitous challenge.

Mountains that support primarily subsistence‐oriented livelihoods, especially agropastoral systems, deliver abundant services but are also most at risk. Moreover, transitions from subsistence‐ to market‐oriented economies are often accompanied by increased physical connectedness, reduced diversity of cross‐scale ecosystem services, lowered importance of local knowledge, and shifting vulnerabilities to threats. Addressing the complex challenges facing MtSES and catalyzing transformations to MtSES sustainability will require cross‐scale partnerships among researchers, stakeholders, and decision makers to jointly identify desired futures and adaptation pathways, assess trade‐offs in prioritizing ecosystem services, and share best practices for sustainability. These transdisciplinary approaches will allow local stakeholders, researchers, and practitioners to jointly address MtSES knowledge gaps while simultaneously focusing on critical issues of poverty and food security.


Read the paper in full

J. A. Klein,* C. M. Tucker,* A. W. Nolin, K. A. Hopping, R. S. Reid, C. Steger, A. Grêt‐Regamey,** S. Lavorel B. Müller, E. T. Yeh, R. B. Boone, P. Bourgeron, V. Butsic, E. Castellanos,* X. Chen, S. K. Dong, G. Greenwood, M. Keiler, R. Marchant,* R. Seidl, T. Spies, J. Thorn, K. Yager, the Mountain Sentinels Network. 'Catalyzing Transformations to Sustainability in the World's Mountains.' Earth's Future (2019): https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EF001024

* MRI Science Leadership Council member
** MRI Principle Investigator

 

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