1. Catalyzing Transformations to Sustainability in the World's Mountains
- Author
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Gregory B. Greenwood, Roman Seidl, Patrick S. Bourgeron, S. K. Dong, Thomas A. Spies, Edwin Castellanos, Van Butsic, Robin S. Reid, Anne W. Nolin, Cara Steger, Karina Yager, Kelly A. Hopping, Rob Marchant, Emily T. Yeh, Margreth Keiler, Sandra Lavorel, Catherine M. Tucker, Xiaodong Chen, Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, Randall B. Boone, Julia A. Klein, Jessica P. R. Thorn, Birgit Müller, Laboratoire de Génie Chimique (LGC), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine (LECA ), Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB [Université de Savoie] [Université de Chambéry])-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019] (UGA [2016-2019]), Institute of Geography [Bern], University of Bern, and University of York [York, UK]
- Subjects
synthesis ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Population ,0207 environmental engineering ,02 engineering and technology ,01 natural sciences ,Ecosystem services ,lcsh:QH540-549.5 ,moutains ,social‐ecological systems ,ecosystem services ,global ,drivers ,11. Sustainability ,Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous) ,910 Geography & travel ,020701 environmental engineering ,education ,Environmental planning ,lcsh:Environmental sciences ,ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,General Environmental Science ,media_common ,lcsh:GE1-350 ,education.field_of_study ,Food security ,Corporate governance ,Subsistence agriculture ,15. Life on land ,Livelihood ,[SDE.ES]Environmental Sciences/Environmental and Society ,13. Climate action ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,Sustainability ,Conceptual model ,lcsh:Ecology ,Business - 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, we 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. We 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. ISSN:2328-4277
- Published
- 2019