The 2005 Kashmir Earthquake is illustrative of the intensity and scope associated with catastrophic earthquake disasters in mountainous regions. The experience of the immediate aftermath, relief and recovery, and community reconstruction underscores how this event impacted mountain women, particularly in their roles in rescue and relief efforts and in rebuilding households and communities. A situational analysis was undertaken in order to document and make recommendations for the significant challenges and concerns facing women earthquake survivors in 3 of the valleys most proximate to the epicenter. Earthquake planning and mitigation strategies in northern Pakistan and elsewhere need to focus on reducing women's vulnerability and increasing their resilience, while fostering feasible interventions to reduce disaster risk across the population. We propose that the main elements should include pre-disaster vulnerability assessments; the support of women's access to resources and science-based earthquake education; active roles for women in relief, rehabilitation, and rebuilding efforts; and gender training among all disaster relief and emergency services.

Humla District in Nepal is a very remote area, prone to food shortages and characterized by a harsh environment. The livelihoods of agropastoralists in this district became much more vulnerable during the recent Maoist insurgency, and this vulnerability was particularly acute in some areas. As a result, people in different villages responded quite differently to an externally funded holistic community development project—one of the only projects the Maoists allowed to proceed with in Humla during the height of the unrest. Villagers' responses to this health- and conservation-oriented development project seem to correlate most closely with socioeconomic status and ability to extract resources from the local environment, as well as with the nature of the relationship with the local Maoist cadres. Villagers' perceptions of the risks of becoming involved in the holistic community development projects in this area, and their ability or willingness to take part in them, are analyzed here, drawing on anthropological analyses of perceptions of risk and the diffusion of innovations. We conclude with brief recommendations based on this evidence and our experience in the field.

Chitral is a landlocked and mountainous region of northern Pakistan located in the Hindu Kush mountains, with a total population of around 400,000 in 50,000 households. The inhabitants of Chitral face a variety of problems associated with climatic hazards throughout the year, such as heavy snowfall in winter, flash floods in summer, glacial outbursts, soil erosion, landslides, occasional earthquakes, and subsequent outbreaks of disease. In such a fragile environment, the collective action of local communities through grassroots institutions—Village and Women's Organizations (V/WOs) and the second generation of these institutions, Local Support Organizations (LSOs)—has been instrumental in effectively tackling these problems. LSOs play the role of a laboratory for engagement by civil society and developing institutional mechanisms to address development challenges, including natural hazards and disasters in the area.

Mt Pinatubo is located on the main island of Luzon in the Philippines. Its 1991 eruption is considered one of the most powerful volcanic explosions of the 20th century. The first victims of the eruption were the Aeta indigenous communities living on the slopes of the mountain. In 1999, approximately 50,000 people were still trying to resume life on the slopes of Mt Pinatubo. Their traditional way of life has been deeply affected by the disaster, which brought changes in the indigenous cultural fabric. The present article addresses the Aetas' response to the 1991 Mt Pinatubo eruption and subsequent cultural changes, using the concept of resilience. It particularly focuses on the communities located within the 200-km² Pasig and Sacobia river basins on the eastern flank of the volcano, in the immediate vicinity of the former Clark American military base. The discussion relies on extensive fieldwork conducted between July 1999 and June 2000 and complemented by additional field explorations between June and September 2001. It recommends fostering community-based disaster recovery as a way to enhance community resilience.

Poppy production in Guatemala has been embraced by a growing number of people since the end of the civil war in 1996 as one avenue out of poverty. Most cultivation occurs in the department of San Marcos, one of the least developed regions with one of the highest rates of malnutrition and other health issues associated with poverty. While poppy production has led to increased profits for some farmers, there are many direct and indirect negative impacts on the health of local people as well as increased pollution associated with eradication efforts. Defoliant spray to eradicate poppies contaminates soil and water and destroys intercropped licit crops. Illicit production causes deforestation and indirectly leads to a change in people's diet. Additionally, poppy production is accompanied by escalating violence. All these factors are increasing the vulnerability of the local people and jeopardizing their health and well-being. Increased poppy production has to be understood as a symptom of development failures. Only re-establishing faith in the long-term viability of licit development initiatives will encourage local farmers to abandon illicit poppy production and increase the overall security and well-being of the local population.

Vulnerability to earthquake disasters in mountainous regions frequently escapes investigation and analysis. The tragic and costly earthquake disasters that have recently occurred in Central Asia have spurred important spurred important questions among local, regional, and international policymakers, scientists, and social activists regarding the root causes of earthquake vulnerability. Drawing on an analysis of recent earthquake disasters in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, this article explores the concept of “seismic culture” (Degg and Homan 2005) in relation to vulnerability. Specifically, it argues that diminishing levels of indigenous hazard knowledge, demographic shifts, gendered livelihood transformations, and the lack of public access to science-based earthquake information have contributed to overall low levels of seismic cultures of prevention in the region. A major finding of the study points to the particular role of women in helping to redress the erosion of seismic culture, thereby bolstering local resilience, earthquake preparedness, and disaster risk reduction.

Micronutrient problems in the food systems of the Himalaya are widespread due to bedrock with low nutrient content, high erosion rates, poverty, subsistence agriculture, and increasing cropping increasing cropping intensity. Agriculturally based strategies for the reduction of micronutrient malnutrition will require knowledge of the scale and spatial patterns of soil deficiencies or excesses of some elements. The present article documents current knowledge about the micronutrient status of cultivated soil in Nepal. Most studies have recorded largely the same magnitude of deficiencies in this country. Some 80 to 90% of soil samples were deficient in boron (B), 20 to 50% in zinc (Zn), and 10 to 15% in molybdenum (Mo). These are important micronutrient deficiencies because they limit agricultural production and affect human nutrition directly or indirectly.

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are common natural hazards in the Himalaya. These floods, usually of large magnitude, can severely affect fragile mountain ecosystems and their limited economic activities. In this study, GLOF hazard in the Sagarmatha region (national park and buffer zone) was assessed using dam break and hydrodynamic modeling. The available data from the Dig Tsho GLOF of 1985 were used to validate many of the model outputs. The technique was further applied to GLOF hazard assessment of Imja Lake, the largest and potentially most dangerous glacial lake in the region. The peak outflow discharge of an Imja GLOF is estimated at 5463 m³/s. The peak discharge attenuates to about 2000 m³/s at the boundary of the buffer zone at about 45 km from the outburst site. Finally, a GLOF vulnerability rating map was prepared and an assessment of vulnerable settlements was carried out. The study was found to be a cost-effective means of obtaining preliminary information on the extent and impact of possible GLOF events—information that is useful for developing plans for early warning systems and implementing management plans.

This quantitative study assesses the ecological impacts of varying degrees of forest use, describing community structure, population structure, and regenerative capacity of the understudied but much utilized Quercus semecarpifolia Sm. in a mixed oak and Rhododendron arboreum Sm. forest. The Middle Hills of the Himalayas have long traditions of mixed farming, with animal husbandry and agriculture as interdependent components. Major biomass demands come from grazing and collection of fodder and fuelwood. In forested areas lopped fodder is one of the main components, and as elevation increases, so does its importance. Human impact has been used to explain low regeneration of these evergreen oaks. The anthropogenic disturbance gradient spanned from highly disturbed savanna-like sites to minimally disturbed shaded sites dominated by rhododendron. The population structure showed a bell-shaped distribution with a pronounced under-representation of saplings throughout the forest. Data indicated the best regeneration in the least disturbed sites. The degree of lopping was the best explanatory variable for the distribution of recruits. Factors preventing trees from surviving the sapling phase may inhibit long-term regeneration more than factors causing high seedling mortality. Results indicate that regeneration of Q. semecarpifolia may suffer to the benefit of rhododendron, which escapes biotic stress due to its poor fodder and fuelwood qualities.

The Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve (TMNNR) preserves the only primeval forest of China cedar (Cryptomeria fortunei) in the world. In order to assist in planning the protection of China cedar habitat and propose a scientific zoning project for TMNNR, we established a nature reserve geographic information system (NRGIS) of TMNNR using a geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS). In support of NRGIS, we produced a 3-dimensional simulation of TMNNR and obtained a predictive model through a combination of logistic regression modeling and multivariate analysis. The results demonstrate that slope direction, soil type, and annual precipitation are the main factors affecting China cedar habitat. The existence probability of China cedar increases with (converted) slope direction and annual precipitation. Yellow soil (FAO classification) is more suitable for the growth of China cedar in comparison to red soil (FAO classification). Finally, we predicted suitable habitats for China cedar using a model and function zoning for TMNNR. We suggest that it is necessary to analyze key factors affecting China cedar habitat in order to ensure appropriate conservation measures. NRGIS has been found indispensable for studying, protecting, and managing China cedar forest and TMN-NR. NRGIS provides not only modeling information but also the means for monitoring this rare species, identifying suitable locations for reintroduction, and carrying out visible and dynamic management of the whole reserve.

Weeds are an increasing threat to the biodiversity of mountain regions worldwide, including in Australia. We reviewed 18 surveys of 401 sites conducted between 1986 and 2004 and examined the distribution and characteristics of common weeds on roadsides in the Snowy Mountains, Australia, to determine the range of natural habitats these weeds are found in, whether they are limited to disturbed sites, whether they are also common in other mountain regions including the Australian Alps, and whether they have invasive traits. There are only 8 common weeds in the Snowy Mountains: Acetosella vulgaris (also known as Rumex acetosella), Hypochaeris radicata, Trifolium repens, Taraxacum officinale, Agrostis capillaris, Dactylis glomerata, Anthoxanthum odoratum, and Achillea millefolium. They occur in areas disturbed by humans, such as along roadsides and around buildings and tracks, from the low-altitude montane zone to the high-altitude high subalpine/alpine zone. They also occur to varying extents in undisturbed native vegetation, reflecting their invasive capacity. These species are all perennial, with high vegetative and/or sexual reproduction, native to Europe, and are found growing on roadsides and in native vegetation in mountains in Europe, North America, South America, and New Zealand. Therefore, it appears that these plants are the usual suspects: common mountain weeds, which may be found worldwide at high altitude.

The government of Colombia has taken a leadership role in facilitating research in high mountain ecosystems to provide a scientific base for understanding climate change and land use impacts on water and carbon cycles. With support from the World Bank and GEF, the Colombian Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology, and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) has undertaken a national pilot project on integrated adaptation to climate change (INAP). A key component of this project has been the development of a protocol for the characterization of carbon and water cycles in high mountain ecosystems. The protocol is designed for use by government, university, and NGO partners interested in climate change impacts, with IDEAM leading the project and consolidating data and results. The present article provides an overview of the protocol design.

The 68 global change scientists from 15 nations who met in Innsbruck at a 2-day meeting organized by the Mountain Research Initiative had in common a willingness to cross their disciplinary boundaries, share project ideas, and engage in international projects.