2023
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State of the Cryosphere 2023
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ALIGNING SOCIAL NETWORKS AND CO-DESIGNED VISIONS TO FOSTER SYSTEMIC INNOVATION IN THE ALPS
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DIVERSE VALUES OF NATURE FOR SUSTAINABILITY
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THE VALUE OF RESEARCHING THE PAST FOR CRAFTING SUSTAINABLE AFRICAN MOUNTAIN FUTURES (2023) The value of researching the past for crafting sustainable African mountain futures, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa, DOI: 10.1080/0035919X.2023.2205373
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SEASONAL ENRICHMENT OF HEAVY ISOTOPES IN MELTWATER RUNOFF FROM HAIG GLACIER, CANADIAN ROCKY MOUNTAINS Penn K, Marshall SJ and Sinclair KE (2023) Seasonal enrichment of heavy isotopes in meltwater runoff from Haig Glacier, Canadian Rocky Mountains. Front. Earth Sci. 11:1125877. doi: 10.3389/feart.2023.1125877
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HERBIVORE REWILDING DOES NOT PROMOTE BIODIVERSITYIN ARGENTINE ANDEAN PEATLANDS MRI Science Leadership Council member, Ricardo Grau, is among the authors of this publication. A new study which focused on the Argentine Puna and the High Andes ecoregions, above 3200 m asl, encompassing an area of 14.3 million hectares (Izquierdo et al., 2015). Peatlands were sampled along a gradient of use, from exclusively dominated by livestock to exclusively dominated by native wild herbivores. Navarro CJ, Carilla J, Osinaga Acosta O, Nieto C, Ovejero R, Grau HR. 2023. Herbivore rewilding does not promote biodiversity in Argentine Andean peatlands. In press in Anthropocene 42, June 2023, 100382, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ancene.2023.100382.
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MRI Co-Principal Investigator, Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, is among the authors of this publication. A study based on developing a participatory modelling process that incorporates both human-centered and large carnivore-centered perspectives on coexistence, and applying it to a case study of coexistence between humans and the endangered Apennine brown bears in Italy. Local and expert knowledge, as well as available data on bear habitats and land use, were integrated into a spatially explicit Bayesian network. Mayer, Paula, Grêt-Regamey, Adrienne, Ciucci, Paolo, Salliou, Nicolas and Ana Stritih. 2023. Mapping human- and bear-centered perspectives on coexistence using a participatory Bayesian framework. Journal for Nature Conservation 73: 126387, DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126387
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A new study, based on a meta-analysis of 68 peer-reviewed publications, and the author team’s decades of on-the-ground experience, highlights the potential of sustainable hydropower, wind, and solar energy in the Hindu Kush Himalaya and the Andes to address local communities’ demands and adaptation needs while supporting broader decarbonization efforts. This paper, featured in Mountain Research and Development Open Issue 43.1, is an output of an MRI Synthesis Workshop ‘‘Renewable Energy Transitions: Comparative Assessment in the Hindu Kush Himalayas, Andes and Alps”. Christopher A. Scott, Sarala Khaling, Padmendra P. Shrestha, F. Sebastián Riera, Kinley Choden, and Kasvi Singh "Renewable Electricity Production in Mountain Regions: Toward a People-Centered Energy Transition Agenda," Mountain Research and Development 43(1), A1-A8, (2 May 2023). https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-21-00062
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A WORKSHOP ON ADVANCES IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ELEVATION DEPENDENT CLIMATE CHANGE This is an output from the MRI's Elevation Dependent Working Group. Experts from around the world gathered at the University of Innsbruck in Austria for a workshop on how climate change is affecting mountain environments, in particular at different elevations. Napoli, A., Pepin, N., Palazzi, E., & Zardi, D. (2023). A workshop on advances in our understanding of Elevation Dependent Climate Change. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. doi: https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-23-0043.1
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Observations play a key role in tracking mountain global change and its impacts, understanding the various processes and feedback mechanisms involved, and delivering more reliable projections of the future to society. This Policy Brief provides an overview of the current state of multi-disciplinary mountain observations. It represents a contribution of the Global Network on Observations and Information in Mountain Environments (GEO Mountains) to the observance of the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development 2022. Thornton, J. M., Palazzi, E., & Adler, C. (2022). Mountain Observations: Monitoring, Data, and Information for Science, Policy, and Society. Policy Brief: International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development 2022. https://doi.org/10.48350/175341
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ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION IN THE MOUNTAINS: POLICY BRIEF This policy brief highlights the role of healthy mountain ecosystems and their services and provides a set of recommendations to help design effective restoration plans. It also reflects on the achievements made during the last 20 years. The publication was prepared by ICIMOD and the Mountain Partnership in collaboration with the MRI, UNEP, FAO and the University of York, and in line with the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development. Dubo, T., Palomo, I., Camacho, L. L., Locatelli, B., Cugniet, A., Racinais, N., & Lavorel, S. (2023). Nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation are not located where they are most needed across the Alps. Regional Environmental Change, 23(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-022-01998-w
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MRI Scientific Leadership Council member, Ignacio Palomo, is among the authors of this publication. The article published in the journal Regional Environmental Change suggests that hazards and nature's contributions to people (NCP) indicators are not the main drivers of nature-based solutions (NbS) implementation in the Alps. It is argued that integrating local climate conditions and current NCP flows is needed to underpin a macro-regional strategy for planning NbS implementation. Dubo, T., Palomo, I., Camacho, L. L., Locatelli, B., Cugniet, A., Racinais, N., & Lavorel, S. (2023). Nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation are not located where they are most needed across the Alps. Regional Environmental Change, 23(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-022-01998-w
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EVERYDAY ADAPTATION PRACTICES BY COFFEE FARMERS IN THREE MOUNTAIN REGIONS IN AFRICA This paper arose from research conducted as part of an MRI Synthesis Workshop “Transformative Adaptation to Climate Change in African Mountains”. The publication identifies climate change adaptation strategies used in African mountain systems, as well as barriers and enabling factors that affect transformative adaptation to climatic changes in these systems. Cuni-Sanchez, A., Twinomuhangi, I., Aneseyee, A., Mwangi, B., Olaka, L., Bitariho, R., Soromessa, T., Castro, B., & Zafra-Calvo, N. (2022). Everyday adaptation practices by coffee farmers in three mountain regions in Africa. Ecology and Society, 27(4), art32. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-13622-270432
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In this policy brief, the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme and the World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves present their recommendations for harnessing the socio-ecological potential of mountain biosphere reserves for biodiversity conservation. MRI Executive Director Carolina Adler has co-authored this publication. This policy brief was produced in collaboration with the Mountain Partnership and the Mountain Research Initiative, in line with the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development. Aquerreta, R., Vivien, L., Adler, C. E., Cárdenas, M. R., Chávez, E., & Price, M. F. (2022). Harnessing the socio-ecological potential of mountain biosphere reserves for biodiversity conservation: policy brief. UNESCO, SC-2022/WS. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000384095
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LOOKING BEYOND GLACIERS TO UNDERSTAND MOUNTAIN WATER SECURITY MRI Principal Investigator Christian Huggel is among the authors of this publication. The article published in Nature Sustainability calls for a refocusing from glaciohydrological monitoring and modelling to a more integrated social-ecological perspective of the wider catchment hydrology that can improve the assessment of mountain water security. Drenkhan, F., Buytaert, W., Mackay, J. D., Barrand, N. E., Hannah, D. M., & Huggel, C. (2022). Looking beyond glaciers to understand mountain water security. Nature Sustainability 2022, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-022-00996-4
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HUMAN POPULATIONS IN THE WORLD’S MOUNTAINS: SPATIO-TEMPORAL PATTERNS AND POTENTIAL CONTROLS MRI Scientific Project Officer, James Thornton, authored this research article published in the journal PLOS ONE. Thornton and co-authors develop and implement an open workflow to quantify the sensitivity of mountain population estimates over recent decades, both globally and for several sets of relevant reporting regions, to alternative input dataset combinations. Thornton, J. M., Snethlage, M. A., Sayre, R., Urbach, D. R., Viviroli, D., Ehrlich, D., Muccione, V., Wester, P., Insarov, G., & Adler, C. (2022). Human populations in the world’s mountains: Spatio-temporal patterns and potential controls. PLoS ONE, 17(7 July), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0271466
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SCIENTISTS’ WARNING OF THREATS TO MOUNTAINS MRI SLC Member Ignacio Palomo and fellow scientists outline in this publication the major threats to mountain ecosystems. They highlight that imbalances in the normal functioning of mountain ecosystems will lead to changes in vital biological, biochemical, and chemical processes, critically reducing ecosystem health with widespread repercussions for animal and human wellbeing. The article is published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. Schmeller, D. S., Urbach, D., Bates, K., Catalan, J., Cogălniceanu, D., Fisher, M. C., Friesen, J., Füreder, L., Gaube, V., Haver, M., Jacobsen, D., Le Roux, G., Lin, Y. P., Loyau, A., Machate, O., Mayer, A., Palomo, I., Plutzar, C., Sentenac, H., … Ripple, W. J. (2022). Scientists’ warning of threats to mountains. Science of the Total Environment, 853(September). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158611
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MOUNTAIN RESEARCH INITIATIVE: 20 YEARS OF MAKING CONNECTIONS FOR OUR CHANGING MOUNTAINS MRI Executive Director Carolina Adler contributed to this issue brief elaborated in collaboration with Zoï Environment Network and the Adaptation@Altitude programme. The brief explains how development failures and the consequences of climate change are increasing the likelihood of disasters in the mountains, and considers the priorities of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in light of mountain hazards. Short cases studies illustrate successful strategies across the globe. Saalismaa, N., Geoff, H., Adler, C. (Mountain R. I., Allen, S. (University of G., Kaufmann, M. (SDC), Mackey, A. (Zoï), Simonett, O. (Zoï), Vij, S. (University of G., Wymann, S. (Centre for D. and E., & Reduction, U. N. O. for D. R. (2022). Leave No Mountain Behind: Disaster Risk Reduction for All. Zoï Environment Network.
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This Frontiers in Climate Editorial, co-authored by MRI Executive Director Carolina Adler, introduces a collection of papers which acknowledge and address the knowledge gaps identified in the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC) in more depth, and capture recent advances to address these issues. Derksen, C., Adler, C., Collins, M., & Sebesvari, Z. (2022). Editorial: Knowledge gaps from the IPCC special report on the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate and recent advances (volumes I and II). Frontiers in Climate, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2022.983144
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LATE PLEISTOCENE MONTANE FOREST FIRE RETURN INTERVAL ESTIMATES FROM MOUNT KENYA In this publication MRI SLC member Robert Marchant and co-authors reconstruct past forest fire events and fire frequencies with sediment–charcoal records at lake catchment spatial scales. They discuss the potential to use these types of data for characterizing variables of fire regimes prior to ostensibly significant modification by anthropogenic activity as well as during the recent past as human land use pressures increased within Afromontane forests. Courtney Mustaphi, C. J., Rucina, S. M., & Marchant, R. (2022). Late Pleistocene montane forest fire return interval estimates from Mount Kenya. Journal of Quaternary Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3466
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MOUNTAIN RESEARCH INITIATIVE: 20 YEARS OF MAKING CONNECTIONS FOR OUR CHANGING MOUNTAINS In 2021, the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) Coordination Office celebrated its 20th anniversary. The milestone is testament to the efforts of a dynamic global community of researchers. This publication showcases just a few of the many key contributions made by the MRI community, and invites those who have been part of its 20-year history to share their reflections on the past, present, and future of the network. Mountain Research Initiative (2022). 20 Years of Making Connections for Our Changing Mountains. Bern, Mountain Research Initiative. https://dx.doi.org/10.48350/171161
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COVERAGE OF IN SITU CLIMATOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN THE WORLD’S MOUNTAINS In this GEO Mountains research article, published in the journal Frontiers, Thornton et al. analyse the coverage of in situ climatological observations across the world's mountains. Spatial mountain data coverage is found to be highly uneven, with station densities in several “Water Tower Units” that were previously identified as having great hydrological importance to society being especially low. Thornton, J. M., Pepin, N., Shahgedanova, M., & Adler, C. (2022). Coverage of In Situ Climatological Observations in the World’s Mountains. Frontiers in Climate, 0, 41. https://doi.org/10.3389/FCLIM.2022.814181
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MRI Principal Investigator Christian Huggel and colleagues developed an integrated model that analyzes different trajectories of water availability including hydro-climatic (water supply) and socio-economic (water demand) variables with consistent multi-descriptor future scenarios in the Santa River basin, Peru. Motschmann, A., Teutsch, C., Huggel, C., Seidel, J., León, C. D., Muñoz, R., Sienel, J., Drenkhan, F., & Weimer-Jehle, W. (2022). Current and future water balance for coupled human-natural systems – Insights from a glacierized catchment in Peru. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 41, 101063. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.EJRH.2022.101063
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STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS’ SOCIAL CONTACTS: INSIGHTS FROM A SWISS MOUNTAIN REGION This publication, co-authored by MRI Principal Investigator Adrienne Grêt-Regamey and published in the journal Agricultural Systems, sheds light on the relationships between (changing) farm structures and social connections in a Swiss mountain region through combining a farm’ survey with agricultural census data. Junquera, V., Rubenstein, D. I., Grêt-Regamey, A., & Knaus, F. (2022). Structural change in agriculture and farmers’ social contacts: Insights from a Swiss mountain region. Agricultural Systems, 200, 103435. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AGSY.2022.103435
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TRENDWENDE KLIMA UND BIODIVERSITÄT PARLAMENT TRIFFT WISSENSCHAFT As authors of the recent IPCC Working Group II report Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, MRI Executive Director Carolina Adler and MRI Principal Investigator Christian Huggel were among the researchers invited to the Swiss Parliament for an exchange with politicians on the challenges of the climate and biodiversity crisis. This brochure published in the Swiss Academies Communications is a result of the meetings preparatory work, summarizing the most intriguing findings from the PCC AR6 and IPBES reports. SCNAT. (2022). Trendwende Klima und Biodiversität Parlament trifft Wissenschaft. In Swiss Academies Communications (Vol. 17, Issue 6). Swiss Academies of Science. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.645201
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This article is a joint effort of individual researchers at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, including MRI SLC member Margreth Keiler. The article highlights their views on mountains as research objects, the phenomena they investigate as parts of entire mountain systems, and the synergies and differences of the disciplinary frames within which they work. Bardy-Durchhalter, M., Bender, O., Bertolotti, G., Branca, D., Braun, V., Bohleber, P., Festi, D., Fischer, A., Gschwentner, A., Hartl, L., Haller, A., Helfricht, K., Hiller, C., Heinrich, K., Janicke, A., Keiler, M., Köck, G., Kratzer, A., Lamprecht, A., … Zieher, T. (2022). Joint Endeavor Toward Sustainable Mountain Development: Research at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Mountain Research and Development, 42(1), P1–P4. https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-22-00002.1
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MRI Principal Investigator Christian Huggel and co-authors undertook a comprehensive review and synthesis of climate-related risks in Central and South America during the 21st century. They find that climate change may increase the risk to severe levels for several topical risk clusters (e.g. Food insecurity or water scarcity). The article is published in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Hagen, I., Huggel, C., Ramajo, L., Chacón, N., Ometto, J. P., Postigo, J. C., & Castellanos, E. J. (2022). Climate change-related risks and adaptation potential in Central and South America during the 21st century. Environmental Research Letters, 17(3), 033002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/AC5271
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TEN FACTS ABOUT LAND SYSTEMS FOR SUSTAINABILITY In this article in the journal of the National Academy of Science of the USA PNAS , MRI SLC Member Ricardo Grau and co-authors synthesize knowledge accumulated in land systems science, the integrated study of terrestrial social-ecological systems. Their findings are presented in 10 key facts or principals that can guide scientists, policy makers and practitioners toward meeting sustainability challenges in land use. Meyfroidt, P., De Bremond, A., Ryan, C. M., Archer, E., Aspinall, R., Chhabra, A., Camara, G., Corbera, E., Defries, R., Iaz, S. D., Dong, J., Ellis, E. C., Erb, K.-H., Fisher, J. A., Garrett, R. D., Golubiewski, N. E., Grau, H. R., Grove, J. M., Haberl, H., … Zu Ermgassen, E. K. H. J. (2022). Ten facts about land systems for sustainability. PNAS, 119(7). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2109217118
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Carolina Adler, MRI Executive Director, is a co-author of this publication. The paper presents a synthesis of the outcomes of sessions and recommendations for future research in mountain areas from the International Mountain Conference (IMC), held in Innsbruck, Austria, in September 2019. Price, M. F., Gurgiser, W., Juen, I., Adler, C., Dach, S. W. von, Kaser, G., Mayr, S., & Moderators, contributing I. (2022). The International Mountain Conference, Innsbruck, Austria, September 2019 (IMC2019): A Synthesis with Recommendations for Research. Https://Doi.Org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-21-00027.1, 42(1), A1–A16.
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ASSESSMENT PRINCIPLES FOR GLACIER AND PERMAFROST HAZARDS IN MOUNTAIN REGIONS Christian Huggel, MRI Principal Investigator, has co-authored this paper published in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Natural Hazard Science. The article identifies the need for future-oriented scenarios to be integrated into the assessment of glacier and permafrost hazards. Allen, S., Frey, H., Haeberli, W., Huggel, C., Chiarle, M., & Geertsema, M. (2022). Assessment Principles for Glacier and Permafrost Hazards in Mountain Regions. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Natural Hazard Science (Issue February). https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389407.013.356
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CLIMATE CHANGES AND THEIR ELEVATIONAL PATTERNS IN THE MOUNTAINS OF THE WORLD This article is authored by Nick Pepin, the lead of the MRI Working Group on Elevation-Dependent Climate Change. Co-authors include MRI Executive director Carolina Adler and MRI Scientific Project Officer James Thornton. Using gridded data sets the article examines elevation-dependent changes in warming and precipitation on a global scale. Pepin, N. C., Arnone, E., Gobiet, A., Haslinger, K., Kotlarski, S., Notarnicola, C., Palazzi, E., Seibert, P., Serafin, S., Schöner, W., Terzago, S., Thornton, J. M., Vuille, M., & Adler, C (2022). Climate changes and their elevational patterns in the mountains of the world. Reviews of Geophysics. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020RG000730
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Estefania Quenta-Herrera wrote this review article as part of the MRI's Mentoring and Training Program in IPCC Processes for Early Career Mountain Researchers. MRI co-authors include former Scientific Project Officer Aino Kulonen and current SLC member Bryan Mark. The article provides systematic information on PA protection of high-elevation freshwater ecosystems (e.g., lakes and watersheds with glaciers), their biodiversity, and their ecosystem services in the tropical Andes. Quenta, E., Crespo-Pérez, V., Mark, B., Gonzales, A. L., & Kulonen, A. (2021). Mountain freshwater ecosystems and protected areas in the tropical Andes: insights and gaps for climate change adaptation. Environmental Conservation, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892921000382
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ADAPTING TO RECEDING GLACIERS IN THE TROPICAL ANDES In this article in the American Geophysical Union (AGU) news magazine Eos, Tania Rojas, Jorge Abad, and others describe research efforts making use of traditional and innovative survey methods to study glacier retreat and dynamics in the Andes. This article resulted from an MRI-funded Synthesis Workshop. Rojas, T. V., Quincey, D., Rau, P., Horna-Muñoz, D., & Abad, J. D. (2021). Adapting to Receding Glaciers in the Tropical Andes. Eos, 102. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021EO210525
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ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE INDUCED WATER STRESS IN MAJOR GLACIERIZED MOUNTAIN REGIONS Anubha Aggarwal, a participant in the MRI's Mentoring and Training Program in IPCC Processes for Early Career Mountain Researchers, is the lead author of this article in the journal Climate and Development. The article presents a global systematic review that assesses different water-related stressors and the adaptation responses to manage water stress in major glaciated mountain regions. Aggarwal, A., Frey, H., McDowell, G., Drenkhan, F., Nüsser, M., Racoviteanu, A., & Hoelzle, M. (2021). Adaptation to climate change induced water stress in major glacierized mountain regions. Climate and Development, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17565529.2021.1971059
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CHALLENGES FOR GOVERNING MOUNTAINS SUSTAINABLY: INSIGHTS FROM A GLOBAL SURVEY MRI Mountain Governance Working Group Lead Catherine Tucker is the lead author of this article in the journal Mountain Research and Development (MRD). Co-authors include MRI SLC members Irasema Alcántara-Ayala and Elizabeth Jiménez Zamora, as well as MRI Mountain Governance Working Group members Alexey Gunya, Julia A. Klein, and Xu Jun. They shed light on the main challenges that impede sustainable mountain governance at the local level. Tucker, C. M., Alcántara-Ayala, I., Gunya, A., Jimenez, E., Klein, J. A., Xu, J., & Bigler, S. L. (2021). Challenges for Governing Mountains Sustainably: Insights From a Global Survey. Mountain Research and Development, 41(2), R10–R20. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-20-00080.1
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MOUNTAIN OBSERVATORIES: STATUS AND PROSPECTS FOR ENHANCING AND CONNECTING A GLOBAL COMMUNITY MRI SLC member and Mountain Observatories Working Group Lead Maria Shahgedanova is the lead author of this article in the journal Mountain Research and Development (MRD). Co-authors include MRI Executive Director Carolina Adler; MRI Co-PI Christian Huggel; MRI Elevation-Dependent Climate Change Working Group Lead Nick Pepin; and MRI SLC members Aster Gebrekirstos, Ricardo Grau, and Rob Marchant, among others. They identify geographical and thematic gaps as well as recent advances in monitoring of biophysical and socioeconomic variables in mountains, and propose ways to connect existing initiatives, support emerging areas, and develop new mountain observatory networks regionally and globally. Shahgedanova, M., Adler, C., Gebrekirstos, A., Grau, H. R., Huggel, C., Marchant, R., Pepin, N., Vanacker, V., Viviroli, D., & Vuille, M. (2021). Mountain Observatories: Status and Prospects for Enhancing and Connecting a Global Community. Mountain Research and Development, 41(2). https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-20-00054.1
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TOWARD A DEFINITION OF ESSENTIAL MOUNTAIN CLIMATE VARIABLES In this article in the journal One Earth, MRI Scientific Project Officer James Thornton and co-authors propose a set of potential Essential Mountain Climate Variables to support the monitoring and understanding of key climate change-related mountain processes. The article builds upon a workshop organized by GEO Mountains and hosted by the MRI. Thornton, J.M., Palazzi, E., Pepin, N.C., Cristofanelli, P., Essery, R., Kotlarski, S., Giuliani, G., Guigoz, Y., Kulonen, A., Pritchard, D., Li, X., Fowler, H.J., Randin, C.F., Shahgedanova, M., Steinbacher, M., Zebisch, M., and Adler, C. (2021). Toward a definition of Essential Mountain Climate Variables. One Earth, 4(6). doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2021.05.005
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ASSESSING NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE In this article in the journal One Earth, Ignacio Palomo presents a new framework to assess transformative change with nature-based solutions (NbS), which resulted from an MRI-funded Synthesis Workshop. Ignacio Palomo, Bruno Locatelli, Iago Otero, Matthew Colloff, Emilie Crouzat, Aida Cuni-Sanchez, Erik Gómez-Baggethun, Alberto González-García, Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, Amanda Jiménez-Aceituno, Berta Martín-López, Unai Pascual, Noelia Zafra-Calvo, Enora Bruley, Marie Fischborn, Rosmarie Metz, and Sandra Lavorel. "Assessing nature-based solutions for transformative change," One Earth 4(5), 1–12, (14 May 2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.04.013
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In this article in the journal Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, MRI Executive Director Carolina Adler and co-authors investigated how eleven global sustainability-oriented research networks – the MRI among them – can effectively contribute to co-production of knowledge and action towards sustainability transformations, and introduced a strategic tool to support this process. Schneider, F., Tribaldos, T., Adler, C., Biggs, R. (Oonsie), de Bremond, A., Buser, T., Krug, C., Loutre, M.-F., Moore, S., Norström, A. V, Paulavets, K., Urbach, D., Spehn, E., Wülser, G., & Zondervan, R. (2021). Co-production of knowledge and sustainability transformations: a strategic compass for global research networks. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 49, 127–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2021.04.007
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CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN EUROPEAN MOUNTAIN SYSTEMS: A SYSTEMATIC MAPPING OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH In this article in the journal Mountain Research and Development, MRI Executive Director Carolina Adler and co-authors mapped English-language scientific journal articles that analyzed the climate change adaptation options planned or implemented in European mountain regions. Sumit Vij, Robbert Biesbroek, Carolina Adler, and Veruska Muccione. "Climate Change Adaptation in European Mountain Systems: A Systematic Mapping of Academic Research," Mountain Research and Development 41(1), A1–A6, (11 May 2021). https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-20-00033.1
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This policy brief highlights assessment indicators considered important for safeguarding mountain biodiversity and ecosystem integrity in line with previous policy recommendations to elevate mountains in the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. GRID-Arendal, the UN Environment Programme, the Mountain Research Initiative, and the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) collaborated on the brief. It received financial support from the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg through the Vanishing Treasures project. UNEP, GMBA, MRI, and GRID-Arendal (2021). Indicators for Elevating Mountains in the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.
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MRI Chair Jörg Balsiger and former MountainMedia Editor Martin Price guest-edited this focus issue of the journal Mountain Research and Development (MRD) and contributed an editorial. This focus issue offers some answers to the question of how education can contribute to sustainable development in mountain areas. Articles present examples and insights from around the world. Covering a wide range of formal and informal education at all levels, including practical training and lifelong learning opportunities, they provide a basis for future research, policy, and action. Balsiger, J., & Price, M. F. (2020). Focus Issue: How Can Education Contribute to Sustainable Mountain Development? Past, Present, and Future Perspectives. Mountain Research and Development, 40(4), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd.4004READ THE EDITORIAL AND FOCUS ISSUE
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In this article in the journal Mountain Research and Development (MRD), MRI Chair Jörg Balsiger, Kenichi Ueno, and Martin Price share results from the activities of the MRI's Education for Sustainable Mountain Development (ESMD) Working Group. Ueno, K., Balsiger, J., & Price, M. F. (2020). Education for Sustainable Mountain Development: Preliminary Insights From a Web-based Survey of Opportunities. Mountain Research and Development, 40(4), R1–R8. https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-20-00026.1
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A GLOBAL FRAMEWORK FOR LINKING ALPINE-TREELINE ECOTONE PATTERNS TO UNDERLYING PROCESSES In this article in the journal Ecography, Maaike Bader presents a new framework for describing alpine treeline ecotones, which resulted from an MRI-funded Synthesis Workshop. Maaike Bader, Luis Llambí, Bradley Case, Hannah Buckley, Johanna Toivonen, J. Camarero, David Cairns, Carissa Brown, Thorsten Wiegand, and Lynn Resler. "A global framework for linking alpine-treeline ecotone patters to underlying processes," Ecography 44(2), 265-292, (9 November 2020). https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.05285
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In this article in the journal Mountain Research and Development, MRI Executive Director Carolina Adler and SLC members outline future directions for developing the MRI network, as well as flagship and community-led activities linking and scaling interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research efforts within and across mountain regions worldwide. Carolina Adler, Jörg Balsiger, Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, Andreas Heinimann, Christian Huggel, Rolf Weingartner, Irasema Alcántara-Ayala, Aster Gebrekirstos, Ricardo Grau, Elizabeth Jimenez, Robert Marchant, Bryan Mark, Shawn Marshall, Samuel Morin, Maria Shahgedanova, Mandira Singh Shrestha, and Jianchu Xu. "Making Connections for Our Changing Mountains: Future Directions for the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI)," Mountain Research and Development 40(3), P1-P6, (18 November 2020). https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-20-00045.1
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MRI Executive Director Carolina Adler and Chair Jörg Balsiger, along with Iago Otero and Emmanuel Raynard from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Mountain Research (CIRM), convened this symposium at the 18th Swiss Geoscience Meeting in November 2020. The session showcased the challenges of and opportunities for research and collaboration among natural and social scientists dealing with global change issues in mountain regions. Adler, C., Otero, I., Raynard, E.; & Balsiger, J. (2020). Session 27: Mountains as contexts for global change: interdisciplinary experiences, challenges and new perspectives across the natural and social sciences. In: 18th Swiss Geosciences Meeting. Zurich: Platform Geosciences, Swiss Academy of Sciences, SCNAT. https://boris.unibe.ch/147606/
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The Global Network on Observations and Information in Mountain Environments (GEO Mountains, formerly GEO-GNOME) convened this workshop in February 2020 in Zürich, Switzerland. The workshop was led by the GEO-GNOME co-leads Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) and the Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, National Research Council (ISAC-CNR), with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA), and the US Geological Survey (USGS). This report summarizes the objectives and outcomes of the workshop, which include the selection of EBVs and ESVs required to observe, monitor and inform on changes in mountain biodiversity and mountain social-ecological systems.
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HIGH MOUNTAIN SUMMIT: OUTCOMES AND OUTLOOK As Co-Chairs for the WMO High Mountains Summit held in October 2019 in Geneva, MRI Executive Director Carolina Adler and John Pomeroy from the Global Water Futures programme collaborated with Rodica Nitu (WMO Project Manager for the Global Cryosphere Watch) in their article titled 'High Mountain Summit: Outcomes and Outlook', in which they recap the results of the summit and the activities that followed since then. Adler, C., Pomeroy, J., & Nitu, R. (2020). High Mountain Summit: Outcomes and Outlook. WMO Bulletin, 69(10): 34-37. https://public.wmo.int/en/resources/bulletin/articles-by-themes?tid-type-bulletin=589
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POLICY BRIEF | ELEVATING MOUNTAINS IN THE POST-2020 GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FRAMEWORK 2.0 This policy brief builds on previous efforts to showcase mountains that began as part of the first meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group held in Nairobi in August 2019, and articulates the myriad ways mountains contribute to global biodiversity on Earth, and its contributions to communities and their well-being. This policy brief was prepared by GRIDA and UN Environment in collaboration with MRI and GMBA, GRASP, the Alpine Convention and the Carpathian Convention, and received financial support from the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg through the UN Environment Vanishing Treasures project. UNEP, GRID-Arendal, GMBA and MRI (2020). Elevating Mountains in the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework 2.0.
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10 NEW INSIGHTS IN CLIMATE SCIENCE 2019 With MRI Executive Director Carolina Adler among the publication's contributing authors, '10 New Insights in Climate Science' was presented to UNFCCCs Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 25th Conference of the Parties (COP25) in Madrid, 6 December, 2019. The report highlights the most recent advances over the last 12 months in the scientific understanding of the drivers, effects, and impacts of climate change, as well as societal responses. Pihl, E., Martin, M.A., Blome, T., Hebden, S., Jarzebski, M.P., Lambino, R.A., Köhler, C., Canadell, J.G., Ebi, K.L., Edenhofer, O., Gaffney, O., Rockström, J., Roy, J., Srivastava, L., Payne, D.R., Adler, C., Watts, S., Jacobsson, L., Sonntag, S., 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2019, Future Earth & The Earth League, Stockholm, 2019
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This MRI-led special issue of the journal Regional Environmental Change seeks to highlight contributions from the mountain research community to the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment cycle, focusing on the impacts of climate change on the high-mountain cryosphere and downstream regions – as well as responses to these impacts.Adler, C., Huggel, C., Orlove, B. et al. 'Climate Change in the Mountain Cryosphere: Impacts and Responses' [Special Issue] Regional Environmental Change (2019) 19. 5.
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This article highlights the importance of spatial context in monitoring and reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals. With reflections based on research in mountain regions, the paper calls for data collection methodologies and review schemes that take into account how SDGs may be reflected at sub-national and regional levels. This publication in the GAIA Open Access Thematic Issue: Research for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was developed by the MRI and the Center for Development and Environment (CDE), as part of our collaboration on the Sustainable Mountain Development for Global Change (SMD4GC) programme. Kulonen A., Adler C., Bracher C. & Wymann von Dach S. 'Spatial context matters in monitoring and reporting on Sustainable Development Goals - Reflections based on research in mountain regions.' GAIA (2019) 28/2,90-94. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.28.2.5
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In this Issue Brief, the MRI and the Center for Development and Environment (CDE) present initial steps towards localization of the 2030 Agenda to mountain areas. Wymann von Dach, S., Bracher, C., Peralvo, M., Perez, K., Adler, C., and a group of contributing authors. 2018. 'Leaving No One in Mountains Behind: Localizing the SDGs for Resilience of Mountain People and Ecosystems.' Issue Brief on Sustainable Mountain Development. Bern, Switzerland: Centre for Development and Environment and Mountain Research Initiative, with Bern Open Publishing (BOP).
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A proposed roadmap for monitoring global change in mountains at various levels and in various contexts, with a view to responding to the integrated knowledge needs of policy, research, and management. Carolina Adler, Elisa Palazzi, Aino Kulonen, Jörg Balsiger, Guido Colangeli, Douglas Cripe, Nathan Forsythe, Grace Goss-Durant, Yaniss Guigoz, Jürg Krauer, Davnah Payne, Nicholas Pepin, Manuel Peralvo, José Romero, Roger Sayre, Maria Shahgedanova, Rolf Weingartner, Marc Zebisch. 2018. 'Monitoring Mountains in a Changing World: New Horizons for the Global Network for Observations and Information in Mountain Environments (GEO GNOME).' Mountain Research and Development, 38(3):265-269. https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-8-00065.1
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CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN ASSESSING SUSTAINABLE MOUNTAIN DEVELOPMENT USING THE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS An evidence-informed preliminary assessment of an SDG indicator subset tailored to a SMD context was performed in a desktop study from September to December 2017. Bracher C, Wymann von Dach S, Adler C. 2018. 'Challenges and Opportunities in Assessing Sustainable Mountain Development Using the UN Sustainable Development Goals.' A Report Compiled by the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), in Collaboration with the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE). CDE Working Paper 3. Bern, Switzerland: Centre for Development and Environment (CDE).
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