Chapter submissions focusing on changing mountain environments in response to climate change and/or land use change are invited. The book 'Mountain Landscapes in Transition: Effects of Land Use and Climate Change' is designed as an interdisciplinary publication which critically evaluates developments in mountains of the world, with contributions from both social and natural sciences. Editors: Udo Schickhoff, RB Singh, and Suraj Mal
With c. 25 percent of the world’s total terrestrial surface higher than 1000 meters and 11 percent higher than 2000 meters, mountains considerably influence regional and continental atmospheric circulation as well as water and energy cycles, and provide ecosystem services to about half of humanity. Mountains are an important source of water, energy, forest, and agricultural products, minerals, and other natural resources.
Moreover, mountains are globally significant as core areas of biodiversity, characterized by higher species richness than adjacent lowlands and high proportions of endemic species. Mountain regions are also centres of cultural diversity, provide ample opportunities for recreation and tourism, and are of spiritual significance. Thus, mountains have a lasting effect on the life of billions living either in mountains or in adjacent lowlands. About one-tenth of the world’s population derives their life support directly from mountains. The supply of water is the key function of mountains for humanity as all of the world’s major rivers originate in mountains. Over 40 percent of the global population live in the watersheds of rivers with sources in mountain ranges.
Thus, mountains are recognized as key elements of the global biophysical and socio-economic system. Mountain ecosystems, however, are exceptionally fragile and susceptible to global environmental change. Climate and land use change will increasingly threaten the integrity of these systems and alter their capacity to provide goods and services for both highland and lowland people. High elevation environments with glaciers, snow, permafrost, water, and a complex altitudinal zonation of vegetation and fauna are widely considered as being most sensitive to climatic changes. The fragility of mountain ecosystems also represents a substantial challenge to sustainable land use and natural resource management. Unsustainable mining, forestry, agricultural practices, and tourism in the context of rapid urbanization and globalization often have drastic consequences, resulting in environmental deterioration and landscape degradation, and their impacts are usually more difficult to correct than in lowland areas.
Increasing temperatures, shrinkage and melting of glaciers, extreme precipitation events, delayed freezing and early ice melting on rivers and lakes, altitudinal shifts of species, habitat and biodiversity loss, increased soil erosion rates etc., are among the responses of mountain ecosystems to climate and land use change and their interactive effects. In view of these challenges, the future of mountain communities and their livelihoods is becoming uncertain. Knowing how structures and functions of mountain ecosystems are affected is of fundamental importance, taking the significant implications for mountain people as well as hundreds of millions living downstream into account. Understanding the system response is also vital in terms of adaptation and mitigation, for implementing collective and collaborative action and effective strategies of sustainable land use and environmental management. This volume compiles available knowledge of the response of mountain ecosystems to recent climate and land use change. The chapters present key concepts, major drivers, and key processes of mountain response, providing transdisciplinary orientation to mountain studies incorporating experiences of academics, community leaders, and policy makers from developed and less developed countries.
The book chapters will be arranged in two sections:
IMPORTANT DATES
Deadline for short letter of intent: 15 February 2019
Submission deadline: 31 July 2019
Please send your letter of intent and your submissions to one of the editors:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thus, mountains are recognized as key elements of the global biophysical and socio-economic system. Mountain ecosystems, however, are exceptionally fragile and susceptible to global environmental change. Climate and land use change will increasingly threaten the integrity of these systems and alter their capacity to provide goods and services for both highland and lowland people. High elevation environments with glaciers, snow, permafrost, water, and a complex altitudinal zonation of vegetation and fauna are widely considered as being most sensitive to climatic changes. The fragility of mountain ecosystems also represents a substantial challenge to sustainable land use and natural resource management. Unsustainable mining, forestry, agricultural practices, and tourism in the context of rapid urbanization and globalization often have drastic consequences, resulting in environmental deterioration and landscape degradation, and their impacts are usually more difficult to correct than in lowland areas.
Increasing temperatures, shrinkage and melting of glaciers, extreme precipitation events, delayed freezing and early ice melting on rivers and lakes, altitudinal shifts of species, habitat and biodiversity loss, increased soil erosion rates etc., are among the responses of mountain ecosystems to climate and land use change and their interactive effects. In view of these challenges, the future of mountain communities and their livelihoods is becoming uncertain. Knowing how structures and functions of mountain ecosystems are affected is of fundamental importance, taking the significant implications for mountain people as well as hundreds of millions living downstream into account. Understanding the system response is also vital in terms of adaptation and mitigation, for implementing collective and collaborative action and effective strategies of sustainable land use and environmental management. This volume compiles available knowledge of the response of mountain ecosystems to recent climate and land use change. The chapters present key concepts, major drivers, and key processes of mountain response, providing transdisciplinary orientation to mountain studies incorporating experiences of academics, community leaders, and policy makers from developed and less developed countries.
The book chapters will be arranged in two sections:
- Response processes of mountain environments to climate change
Topics: Climate change, snow cover, glacier retreat, vegetation phenology, treeline dynamics, changing species distributions, biodiversity loss etc.
- Response processes of mountain environments to land use change
Topics: Land use/cover change, agriculture, grazing impact, tourism, expansion of road networks, hydropower, mining etc.
IMPORTANT DATES
Deadline for short letter of intent: 15 February 2019
Submission deadline: 31 July 2019
Please send your letter of intent and your submissions to one of the editors:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
