Demographic developments in the European Alpine region are analyzed over the period 1870-1990. The region is defined as including parts of Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland, and Slovenia. "Studies of growth, stagnation, decline, commune size, and altitude in almost 6,000 communes are presented on three colored maps.... It is apparent that two highly divergent processes are

"This paper examines population change in the upper Braldu Valley of the Karakoram range in northern Pakistan between 1900 and 1990. Population has declined over the 90-year period of observation and the majority of that decline is accounted for by females.... The paper discusses apparent demographic trends in a contemporary and historical context and questions the extension of vague, unqualified,

The hypothesis is developed that the concentration of population in the mountains of Morocco is due to the existence of considerable resources in the region, and not because of its attraction as a place of refuge. The need to include the mountain region in today's development process is stressed. (SUMMARY IN FRE AND GER)

Historically, Nepal has demonstrated a "great turnabout" trend, in which initial immigration from the lowland areas to the mountains has been replaced by accelerating migration from the hills to the plains. The reason for this reversal has been a rapid growth in population within the confines of limited availability of potentially cultivable land. Given Nepal's slow economic development, the overwhelming

"The population of the Himalayan region has tripled between 1901 and 1981 (from 11 to 33 million) and the rate of increase accelerated after about 1951 (from 1.26 to 2.7 percent per annum). These generalized figures, however, conceal significant sub-regional differences. It is argued that aid and development programmes have so far paid insufficient attention to local socio-cultural institutions and

This paper examines demographic and socioeconomic forces in high isolated parts of the world. These regions were not always isolated; they were once the centers of their own particular worlds which, in some cases, were complex civilizations. It is their relegation to the very periphery of the modern world that is the principal theme of this paper. Population migration, both into and out of these areas

Preliminary results of the 1981 Nepal census are analyzed as to urbanization and population movement to the Terai. Noting the substantial shift in the pattern of Nepal's population distribution occurring between 1971-81, and projecting these rates of change for the future, the paper reports a process of transformation wherein Nepal is shifting from a rural hill and mountain society to an urban-subtropical

Changes in world capitalism caused prices of traditional raw materials to fall and new energy demands to arise at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. The Andean countries witnessed the fall in the value of their exports and began to receive large flows of foreign investment in mining and industry. Consequently, urban economies were strengthened and demographic patterns were changed

Economic, social, cultural, and geographic barriers exist in rural Nepal that prevent many girls from successfully reaching higher levels of education. This research was conducted with the aim of identifying the enabling environments and support systems that have allowed girls from the rural and mountainous Solukhumbu District of Nepal to successfully reach “college”-level education in class levels

Historical analysis of wildfire frequency, intensity, size, season, and type helps to determine the fire regime and the impacts of human activity in a region. Information about the temporal and spatial distribution of forest fires can help guide the formulation of integrated fire management policies. Mt Kenya Forest provides ecosystem services that sustain the livelihoods of local communities. However

Environmental products can contribute to livelihoods through support of current consumption and provision of an economic safety net. But what is their role in lifting households out of poverty? Here we investigate the absolute and relative economic importance of commercial medicinal plants, including the high-value Chinese caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), to rural livelihoods in the high

Widespread community forestry practices in Nepal's mid-hills catchments involve removal of forest products—including firewood, litter, fodder, and medicinal herbs—by the local communities. Uncertainty is growing about how sustainable the management of these catchments is and whether it can meet traditional needs and maintain ecosystem services, particularly water. As part of a broader study on the

Landslides have emerged as one of the most important disturbance agents in mountainous ecosystems. In mountainous regions in Japan, the locations of old landslides often have heterogeneous vegetation that is peculiar to landslide areas. However, little is known about how and why vegetation patterns differ among landslide sites within a region. In this study, I describe the variations in vegetation

Mountain agricultural systems (MASs) are multifunctional and multidimensional sociocultural systems. They are constantly influenced by many factors whose intensity and impacts are unpredictable. The recent Hindu Kush–Himalayan Assessment Report highlighted the need to integrate mountain perspectives into governance decisions on sustaining resources in the Hindu Kush–Himalayan region, emphasizing the

There is growing consensus that biodiversity losses resulting from global change profoundly affects ecosystem services and human welfare. However, biodiversity and ecosystem processes are commonly monitored independently and on spatiotemporal scales inadequate to inform decision-making. The high Andean ecosystems of Colombia, extending from high Andean forests and páramos to glacier ice caps, form

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has played a leading role in sustainable mountain development within the United Nations system. It was appointed task manager for Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 in 1992 and acted as the lead agency for the International Year of Mountains in 2002. Since 2003, FAO has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to lead the annual observance