The densely populated central part of the Ile Alatau mountains is one of the most mudflow-prone areas of Kazakhstan. Implementation of protection measures, early warning systems, and risk management plans is crucial to protect livelihoods and infrastructure from damage caused by mudflows. Increasing harm and damage from mudflows in recent decades—due to more frequent events, as well as increased economic development of the area—has made the establishment and implementation of a mudflow risk management system a priority. The effectiveness of such a system largely depends on the scientific validity of the management plan and hence is determined by the level of knowledge of the physical processes triggering such events. This knowledge is based on information that must be collected, analyzed, and systematized. However, such data are not easy to access; they are scattered over different archives and research institutes or simply missing. In recent years, scientific monographs, articles, and reports have been published that attempt to collect and systematize data on mudflow phenomena in general. These efforts provide a basis for further work but are often not readily available for use. This article presents the updateable, interactive, intelligent information system “Mudflow phenomena of the central part of the Ile Alatau” that links cartographic information with data on mudflow formation centers. This system concentrates and collates existing knowledge, making it accessible to stakeholders and decision-makers who can turn this knowledge into suitable applications for adaptive and sustainable risk management.

Internal migration has played a significant role in shifting the population from rural to urban areas worldwide. In Bhutan, rural depopulation is mostly concentrated in the country's eastern and some central parts, and is changing the rural landscape, economy, and society. In discussing rural population change, the term Gungtong is widely used in the Bhutanese media and public discourses. The literal translation of Gungtong is an empty registered house. However, Gungtong is often interpreted differently in the absence of a clear legal definition. Therefore, the primary objective of this article is to explore the various interpretations of the term Gungtong and understand its meaning. To explore this, 40 semistructured interviews with Bhutanese officials and rural residents were conducted. The study highlights that the Gungtong data gathered annually by the government are based on the administrative complexity of rural taxation policy rather than the actual departure of people from rural areas and empty houses. However, the conversation around Gungtong relates to the globally recognized issue of rural depopulation. Thus, there are discrepancies within the official dataset and between the dataset and the general understanding of the issues and implications of Gungtong. Developing a clear understanding of the term Gungtong and restructuring the data collection of empty houses will help answer some critical questions on the impact of rural depopulation in farming and the rural economy, considering Bhutan's aspiration to be food self-sufficient.

Changes in land use affect biodiversity and the biophysical structure of ecosystems, causing negative impacts on ecosystem services, such as climate regulation. However, few studies have evaluated the effect of land use changes on the local climate, particularly in tropical mountain systems such as the Andes. Therefore, this study compares 4 land use types (native forest, planted forest, maize monoculture, and pasture) in a mountain landscape in northern Ecuador as a proxy to assess the impact of land use change on local climate regulation. We estimated gap fraction with photographic techniques and recorded temperature and relative humidity using dataloggers set at 2 heights (0 m and 1 m) above ground level across the land use types. As we expected, native forests provided a more stable microclimate, demonstrating significantly lower temperatures and higher relative humidity values than the other land use types. This effect on microclimate was significantly explained with highest temperatures at intermediate gap fraction levels. In addition, we observed that native forests provided a buffer effect for the variations in mesoclimate; only native forests showed an evident reduction in local temperature over the range of mesoclimates. Local temperature variations registered in human-altered systems (planted forests and pastures) were significantly explained by the mesoclimate variation, with the exception of monocultures that exhibited a mismatch between the 2 scales of climate. These results highlight the importance of native forest for microclimate regulation, an ecosystem service that can act synergistically with other biodiversity and conservation goals to sustainably manage landscapes in Andean mountain systems.

This article examines how social innovations influence the economic growth orientation of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in mountain regions. Social innovations can help mountain regions solve local challenges by creating novel ideas to improve the situation. This, in turn, can have various effects on the mountain economy. However, there is still no consensus on the ways in which social innovations create economic impulses such as economic growth or even economic growth independence. This article aims to improve our understanding of social innovations and their impact on the local mountain economy. We examine the 100% Valposchiavo initiative, which aims to close regional value chains by bringing together economic actors in agriculture, production, and hospitality in a Swiss mountain region. In particular, the article examines the evolution of the initiative and its impact on local SMEs. We employed the novel method of innovation biographies and conducted narrative and guided interviews to examine the ways in which the initiative evolved and what its effects are on participating SMEs. The results show that 100% Valposchiavo induced potential growth effects through its focus on increased collaboration, whereas (re)localization created growth-independent effects. Some companies are growth dependent because of higher demand, junior management, modernization efforts, or a fast-growing market. The growth-independent companies pursue this strategy through personal contacts, their corporate philosophy, their management age, or their business form. Our study adds a postgrowth perspective to the discussion around the role of social innovations in mountain economies.

This paper examines progress and limitations in the transition from current dependence on carbon-based energy toward clean, renewable, and socially just energy in the Hindu Kush Himalaya and the Andes. Focusing on electricity production from sustainable hydropower, solar, and wind energy, the assessment does not cover biomass energy, although this is recognized to be an important energy source in these regions. Using meta-analysis methods, a set of 68 peer-reviewed publications was reviewed to systematically address 2 research questions: (1) Which electricity generation options in mountains can address local demands and adaptation needs while supporting broader decarbonization efforts? (2) What technical innovations, policy, and governance mechanisms can aid this transition? Considering governance, finance, individual and collective action, and science and technology dimensions of the transition challenge, recommendations for policymakers, mountain communities, and practitioners are made. These include setting up clear and effective policy measures, programs, and incentives to support energy transition plans and help mountain communities and energy practitioners to fully embrace the transition. Strong political commitment supported by international cooperation for a transition agenda centered on mountain people will enable community participation, stimulate technological innovation, and establish mechanisms to monitor and enforce social and environmental impact remediation.

In the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), at the top of the world, we are witnessing rapid climate change, biodiversity loss, increased disaster risk, and rising inequality. Ambitious partnerships must drive evidence-based action to solve these complex problems. As an intergovernmental knowledge center for the 8 HKH countries—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan—the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) aims to deliver tangible outcomes to address the challenges the region faces. It will meet these challenges through a new strategy and action plan. The vision is to work toward a greener, more inclusive, and climate-resilient HKH. This will be delivered through a refreshed mission to build and share knowledge that enables greener, more inclusive, and climate-resilient policies and through action and investment across the diverse countries and communities of the HKH.