Involving the local population in forest resource management is seen by the Viet-namese authorities as a key concept for reconciling forest use with longterm protection of multifunctional forest ecosystems. For the development of adapted resource management systems, the government closely collaborates with international development projects in the field of participatory forest use. SDC, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the Swiss non-governmental organization Helvetas are involved in the advancement of the community forest management (CFM) approach, which, despite its short history in Viet Nam, has already illustrated that there is legitimate reason for hoping that it will contribute to 2 interlinked objectives: satisfying rural people's forest resource needs, and ensuring long-term conservation of unique multifunctional forest ecosystems.

Forests perform a range of valuable environmental functions, such as sequestering carbon, controlling erosion, and sheltering a diversity of species. Traditional cultures such as the Māori in Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ) have long seen forests as a source of livelihood. Recent policy innovations in response to environmental issues like climate change are creating markets for environmental services, leading to new opportunities to earn livelihoods from forests. We worked with indigenous Māori landowners in a rural area of NZ to implement a “carbon farming” project—a management system that encourages reforestation and generates marketable offsets for greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. Our experience in establishing a carbon sequestration project sheds light on the factors affecting uptake and project success for other groups seeking to utilize these markets as a tool for sustainable development.

A geographical indication (GI) is a form of protection highlighted in the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It protects intangible economic assets such as the quality and reputation of a product through market differentiation. It is considered a promising tool at the international level to maintain multifunctionality in rural landscapes and involve local populations in biodiversity management and conservation. Using the example of an existing GI for Coorg orange, a crop frequently associated with coffee agro-forestry systems in the mountain region of Kodagu (Western Ghats, India), we discuss how a GI can be successfully used by local producers and what conditions are needed for it to have a positive impact on the landscape and its associated biodiversity.

The Kangchenjunga landscape in the trans-boundary region of Nepal, Bhutan, and India has rich forest resources offering a wide range of ecosystem services to local people and habitats for many rare plant and animal species. Despite conservation efforts in several fragmented protected areas in the past, forest ecosystems and their multiple functions have been affected by over-extraction of resources, haphazard land use practices, intensive agriculture, overgrazing, unmanaged tourism, and unplanned infrastructure development. We describe a multi-level and multi-stakeholder transboundary process initiated in 2002 with the overall objective of restoring fragmented and deteriorating forest resources through development of conservation corridors and adaptation of conservation measures, moving from a species approach to a landscape approach. In collaboration with governmental and non-governmental organizations, academics, and communities, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has been addressing the conservation issue by promoting participatory reforestation and transboundary collaboration, and linking conservation with sustainable use of resources by local communities.

The Mt Elgon ecosystem straddles the international boundary between Kenya and Uganda and is a watershed of international importance, feeding the waters of Lake Victoria, the Nile River system, and Lake Turkana. The core ecosystem in the Mt Elgon area is characterized by large montane forest landscapes; it comprises several protected areas. Adjacent is a vast, heavily populated agricultural landscape supporting up to 2 million people, whose livelihoods and economic activities are largely dependent on the ecosystem goods and services of the highlands. The mountain ecosystem of Mt Elgon is thus vital to the social and economic functioning of the surrounding areas, both in the highlands and in the lowlands. To manage this important ecosystem and sustain the multiple functions and services it offers local people and visitors, there is a need for a regional transboundary ecosystem management approach and strengthened institutional collaboration between all stakeholders concerned at different levels. The Mt Elgon Regional Ecosystem Conservation Programme (MERECP) aims to secure the multifunctionality of the Mt Elgon ecosystem and enhance sustainable development in the long term, in order to secure livelihoods and alleviate poverty, both of which are priorities of the governments of Uganda and Kenya. The present article provides insights from experience and lessons learned to date regarding the planning and implementation of such a transboundary regional ecosystem approach.

Forest landscapes are often not adequately taken into account by land use planning, leading to loss of biodiversity and reduction in ecosystem services and functions. One of the reasons relates to the data provided to planners, which tend to be limited to a description of the characteristics of forests —eg presence of a given vegetation type—rather than an assessment of their multiple values. Value assessments are important for prioritizing forest areas and consequently for steering development toward less sensitive sites. The present study aimed to transform forest inventories into composite, clear and consensual value assessments, in order to provide support to land use decisions in forest areas (eg for location of ski infrastructure, conversion to agriculture, etc). An expert panel-based approach was employed to make an assessment of the nature conservation value of different forest types within an Alpine region. A geographical information system (GIS) database was then built up by linking the forest parcels with the results of the assessments. This information system is being used by the local Environmental Protection Agency to support land use planning procedures, such as environmental impact assessments (EIA) and strategic environmental assessments (SEA).

Australian bipinnate acacias, known locally as mimosa, are widespread on the plateaus and mountains of Madagascar. Rarely, however, do these trees attain their full size, leading to a surprising landscape of ‘scrubby’ wattles. We review the introduction of the wattles, survey their multiple uses in rural livelihoods and environmental management, and analyze the forestry policies, tenure rules, and ecological factors that maintain the trees' scrubby state. This well-adapted plant is an important resource for farmers and serves to green treeless hills, but it may become a conundrum to conservation managers due to its non-native, invasive status.

Secondary forests in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) are increasingly recognized as a valuable component of land cover, providing ecosystem services and benefits for local users. A large proportion of secondary forests in the LMB, especially in the uplands, are maintained by swidden cultivation. In order to assess the regional-scale status and dynamic trends of secondary forests in the LMB, an analysis of existing regional land cover data for 1993 and 1997 was carried out and forms the basis of this paper. To gain insight into the full range of dynamics affecting secondary forests beyond net-change rates, cross-tabulation matrix analyses were performed. The investigations revealed that secondary forests make up the largest share of forest cover in the LMB, with over 80% located in Laos and Cambodia. The deforestation rates for secondary forests are 3 times higher than the rates for other forest categories and account for two-thirds of the total deforestation. These dynamics are particularly pronounced in the less advanced countries of the LMB, especially in Laos, where national policies and the opening up of national economies seem to be the main drivers of further degradation and loss of secondary forests.

Plant diversity, water, and soil conservation of man-made versus natural forests in Mouding (25°24′09″ N, 101°28′18″ E), mid-Yunnan, were investigated and analyzed. Various plant communities exist in this mountainous region: 4-year-old shrubland, a 10- to 14-year-old plantation of Eucalyptus smithii, a 35- to 45-year-old plantation of Pinus yunnanensis, a 35- to 45-year-old semi-natural forest of Keteleeria evelyniana and Pinus yunnanensis, a 35- to 55-year-old natural secondary forest of Keteleeria evelyniana and Cyclobalanopsis glaucoides, and a climax forest of Cyclobalanopsis glaucoides, Castanopsis orthacantha and Castanopsis delavayi as the original mid-subtropical, semi-moist, evergreen broad-leaved trees in the region. The species diversity and the regenerative quality were poorest under the Eucalyptus forest. The Pinus forest had the lowest interception and stemflow (26.4%) of rainfall, followed by the Eucalyptus forest (29.5%). The leaching loss of nutrients was greater in the two planted forests than in the natural ones. The soil under the Eucalyptus forest was impoverished and showed deterioration of its chemical characteristics, as compared to the shrubland, semi-natural, natural, secondary, and climax forests in the same area.

The Iezer Mountains are part of the Southern Carpathians in Romania; the elevation range spans over 1800 m, with the highest peak at 2470 m. In recent years, the vegetation in this montane landscape has undergone various changes. The aim of the present analysis is to test whether the evolution of vegetation zones can be modeled using remote sensing data and official forestry cadastre data, in correlation with climatic data for the same period. Our analysis used the change detection procedure (image difference) with 2 LANDSAT TM/ETM subscenes for the summers of 1986 and 2002. Field research (2001–2005) helped us to validate thematic classification of the altitudinal zones. The change detection image showed general trends: an increase in timberline elevation, a gradual replacement of coniferous forests by mixed forests, and a natural regeneration of beech trees on mountain slopes.

Distribution and community structure of treeline birch (Betula utilis D. Don) forest in a trans-Himalayan dry valley was studied in Manang (central Nepal) with the major focus on regeneration. Along 5 vertical transects, a total of 41 square quadrats (10 m x 10 m) were sampled to determine the importance value index (IVI) of tree species, distribution pattern of seedlings and saplings, and soil attributes. Regeneration was assessed by a density–diameter curve. Moisture plays an important role in spatial (horizontal) distribution of Betula utilis. Pure Betula forest forming the treeline was mature, with high basal area (2.3%), but mixed Betula forest at lower elevations was young. This might have developed after large-scale clear cutting of Abies spectabilis. If not severely disturbed, mixed Betula forest may be replaced by Abies spectabilis. In general, Betula utilis was regenerating, as evident from a reverse J-shaped density–diameter curve for both forests. However, the distribution of seedlings and saplings was spatially heterogeneous and appeared to depend on canopy cover. The stands with highest seedling and sapling densities of Betula utilis had no trees. Betula seedlings were absent where the tree density and basal area (BA) exceeded 20 stems/100 m² and 1.0% respectively. It was apparent that Betula seedlings could not establish under their own closed canopy even if they produced viable seeds. Partial canopy opening may induce seedling establishment and hence continuous regeneration of Betula utilis at mature stands. The tree-line formed by Betula utilis was abrupt—the anthropo-zoogenic type—without the krummholz zone.

White clover (Trifolium repens) introduced in the 1970s has become the most important fodder legume in Bhutan and there is some concern about its possible negative influence on native plant communities. Detailed plant and soil observations were made across 27 sites (2600–4000 m) to evaluate the effects of white clover on plant community, P dynamics, and fodder quality. Arundinella hookeri was the dominant species up to 3500 m. Other important species with wide distribution were Eragrostis nigra, Brachypodium sylvaticum, Potentilla spp. and Schizachyrium delavayi. An increasing presence of white clover reduced the proportion of biomass from other species, the frequency of A. hookeri and Potentilla spp., and the proportion of bare ground. Biomass harvested from spots with high white clover presence had 70% higher N and 17% higher P content when compared to biomass from spots with no white clover. Soil available P (Bray) was 2.68 mg/kg for patches without white clover and 6.21 mg/kg for patches with high white clover presence. There is no indication that white clover could become a weed in permanent grassland environments of Bhutan.

Geo-referenced archive databases on mountain organisms are very promising tools for achieving a better understanding of mountain biodiversity and predicting its changes. The Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA) of DIVERSITAS, in cooperation with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, encourages a global effort to mine biodiversity databases on mountain organisms. The wide range of climatic conditions and topographies across the world's mountains offers an unparalleled opportunity for developing and testing biodiversity theory. The power of openly accessible, interconnected electronic databases for scientific biodiversity research, which by far exceeds the original intent of archiving for mainly taxonomic purposes, has been illustrated. There is an urgent need to increase the amount and quality of geo-referenced data on mountain biodiversity provided online, in order to meet the challenges of global change in mountains.

Forests are crucial for the well-being of humanity. They provide foundations for life on earth through ecological functions, by regulating climate and water resources and serving as habitats for plants and animals. Forests also furnish a wide range of essential goods such as wood, food, fodder and medicines, in addition to opportunities for recreation, spiritual renewal and other services (FRA 2003). Forestland covers 21,188,746 ha, which corresponds to approximately 27% of the surface area of Turkey (OGM 2007). Forests are among the most popular ecotourism destinations because of their unique values for tourists interested in nature in local values and culture. It is therefore critical to adopt a sustainable development approach in the management of mountains and forests, where biodiversity must be conserved in the long term to minimize the negative impacts of tourism. This is increasingly being acknowledged by governmental institutions and nongovernmental organizations in some areas of Turkey. We report here on the development of ecotourism and the support of local communities and other stakeholders in the Kure Mountains, emphasizing awareness-raising activities and benefits to the local economy.