In the Ngenge watershed, at Mt. Elgon in the eastern Ugandan highlands, agricultural practices cause serious soil erosion problems and subsequent decrease in soil and water quality. Attempts to manage soil erosion through policy interventions have not been successful, because existing policies and legislation for natural resource management are inadequate and often formulated without consulting local communities. In the Ngenge watershed, an integrated watershed management (IWM) program was initiated to foster sustainable land and water management solutions. Experience shows that successes in IWM programs depend on effective participation by all relevant groups of stakeholders. The present study investigates the usability of a stakeholder analysis (SA) and how it has to be linked with participatory problem identification and participatory formulation of action and work plans to build a base for effective IWM. The SA considered the following criteria: (1) stakeholders' commitment to implement IWM, (2) their power to influence policy-making and implementation processes, and (3) the expected impact of the IWM program on the stakeholders. The SA allowed identification of key groups of stakeholders who participated in workshops and jointly developed concrete action and work plans. These workshop outputs, together with the positive feedback of the stakeholders and the commitment of policy-makers to continue the process, are good indicators that SA is a useful means for supporting the development of IWM strategies.

A field study in the western Himalayan foothill region of Uttarakhand found widespread resistance to livestock vaccinations and medications based on a number of misconceptions, including that they would cause miscarriages, reduction in milk yield, reduction in feed consumption, weakness, fibroid formation, or fever. Over a 3-year period, 150 farmers received, free of cost, livestock vaccinations and antiparasite medications along with advice on sanitation and feeding, delivered by using 3 different communication methods. Group 1 received individualized training by a veterinary professional and a youth volunteer, group 2 received small-group training at a central location, and group 3 was exposed to wall posters that advertised a distribution of free medications at a veterinary outreach event where they could also interact with animal health personnel. The intervention that had the greatest impact was the one with the group that received personalized training, which resulted in a 96% vaccination rate at the end of the third year.

The Hindu Kush–Himalayan (HKH) region is characterized by a variety of climatic conditions from tropical to alpine. It has been documented that the rates of warming in the HKH region are significantly higher than the global average and that the warming is occurring at much higher rates in the high-altitude regions than in the low-altitude regions. Mountainous environments are considered sensitive indicators of climate change. Hence this study examined the potential impact of global warming on the HKH region by applying Hadley Centre's high-resolution regional climate model PRECIS (Providing Regional Climates for Impact Studies) to 3 subregions: the western, central, and eastern Himalaya. The physical mechanisms that drive warming are different for the 3 regions, and the western Himalaya has 2 major rainy seasons, whereas the central and eastern Himalaya have only one. This study therefore focused on the common rainy season (June–September), during which all 3 regions receive the highest proportion of their annual rainfall. The 3 PRECIS simulations that correspond to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's A1B emissions scenario were carried out for a continuous period from 1961 to 2098. They were validated with high-resolution (0.25° latitude × 0.25° longitude) data provided by the Asian Precipitation—Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration Towards Evaluation of the Water Resources (APHRODITE) project and by the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis data. The model was reasonably effective in simulating the monsoon climate over the HKH region. The climate projections were examined over the short (2011–2040), medium (2041–2070), and long term (2071–2098). The model projections indicate that significant warming will occur throughout the HKH region toward the end of the 21st century. Summer monsoon precipitation is expected to be 20–40% higher in 2071–2098 than it was in the baseline period (1961–1990). The 3 Quantifying Uncertainty in Model Predictions simulations show large differences in projections in the western Himalaya.

Individuals' perceptions are becoming increasingly relevant as a central component of social and environmental sustainability. As a result, the social dimension has become a fundamental element of sustainable forest management. To investigate people's perceptions of forest management, it is necessary to analyze values and norms in the social and cultural context and, at the same time, to consider individual preferences for forest management strategies. Trento municipality in northeast Italy was chosen as a study area because of its location in the European Alpine region and because of the links that exist between individuals and forest resources. A structured questionnaire was sent to 1000 randomly selected household heads. Responses were analyzed, taking into consideration the relationship between perceptions and respondents' gender, age, education, and geographical location; this allowed highlighting of statistical differences between groups. Results confirmed the importance of gender, age, and location in influencing individuals' preferences. Results also showed that people generally prefer open forests with mixed tree species and different sizes, which is in line with the goals of the local public forest service's management strategies.

Invasion of high-altitude grasslands by unpalatable shrubs poses a serious threat to the livelihoods of mountain herders. To address the issue, a study was conducted on shrub-infested grasslands in the Himalayan rangeland of Bhutan to compare the effects of prescribed burning and vegetation cutting on the relative abundance of several key types of plants, forage dry matter production, and yak carrying capacity, and to suggest appropriate time intervals for the application of management measures. The proportions of broadleaf and grass and palatable dry matter yield were higher on sites with a northwesterly aspect. Prescribed burning led to a significant increase in the proportion of all plant categories except rhododendron. Compared with the control (no treatment) and cutting, prescribed burning resulted in significantly higher palatable dry matter yield, which increased during the first 4 years after burning and then declined in the following 2 years. The annual carrying capacity per hectare for the burned plots was 0.23 livestock units, compared to 0.05 livestock units for the control and cut plots. These results suggest that prescribed burning is an effective tool to restore high-altitude shrub-dominated grasslands. We suggest a time interval of 6 years between burnings.

Vegetation and species diversity patterns in conservation areas near big cities are poorly known. These are important recreational areas used also for educational purposes. Therefore, investigations of local diversity patterns are urgently needed. The Baihua Mountain Reserve is close to the city of Beijing and is the northern end of the Taihang mountain range in north China. Sixty-one 10 × 20 m quadrats of plant communities were established along gradients for elevation (750–2043 masl) and disturbance (mainly due to tourism and agriculture). Data on species composition and environmental variables were measured and recorded in each quadrat. Two-way indicator species analysis and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) were used to analyze the relationships between vegetation and environmental variables, while species diversity indices were used to analyze the pattern of species diversity. Twelve plant communities were found, mostly secondary forests with some plantations. These communities are representative of the vegetation in the mountains west of Beijing. Each community had a different composition, structure, and environment. The variation of plant communities was significantly related to elevation and disturbance and related to litter thickness, slope, and aspect. The cumulative percentage variance of species–environment relationships for the first 4 CCA axes was 89.6%. Elevation and disturbance intensity were revealed as the factors that most influenced community distribution and species diversity. Species richness, heterogeneity, and evenness all showed a “humped” pattern along elevational and disturbance gradients—the highest species diversity appeared in the middle elevation and under medium disturbance intensity. Recommendations regarding management measures are made.

Thirty years ago, 8 countries of the Hindu Kush–Himalayan region (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan) realized the importance of mountains and established the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). With an 8-country charter, ICIMOD serves as a regional intergovernmental center for cooperation on the sustainable development of the Hindu Kush–Himalayan region. ICIMOD believes in a future in which the region's mountain people can experience enhanced livelihoods, equity, and social and environmental security; in which they can adapt to environmental, socioeconomic, and climate change; and in which generations of mountain and downstream populations can enjoy the benefits and opportunities afforded by the region's natural endowment. ICIMOD foresees a future in which the role of the region, as the water tower for more than a billion people, a cultural and spiritual hub, the home of global biodiversity hotspots, a significant ecological buffer zone, and a source of resources and services for mountain and lowland people, is upheld, valued, and recognized globally and regionally.