Understanding the diverse livelihood strategies of herder households, as well as the factors that shape these strategies, is crucial for advancing sustainable development in pastoral area and combating rural poverty. This study aims to assess the livelihood strategies employed by herder households, categorize the diverse types of household livelihood strategies, and elucidate the asset factors that influence households' choices of livelihood strategies. Data were collected from a sample comprising 136 herder households, selected through a random sampling method from 7 villages situated within the traditional pasture territory of southwestern Iran. Using a 2-step cluster analysis based on the share of household income, 2 distinct livelihood strategies were recognized: income originating from farm animal–related products and activities (Cluster 1) and diversified livelihoods strategies (Cluster 2). The findings indicated that a majority of households (58.82%) relied exclusively on livestock-related products and activities for their income. Households possessing greater rangeland and farmland as indicators of natural capital (β = 5.184, P = 0.004) as well as those with more livestock, which serves as physical capital (β = 2.914, P = 0.042), demonstrated a heightened likelihood of adopting livelihood strategies centered on livestock-related products and activities. Conversely, households with higher levels of education indicative of human capital (β = –2.770, P = 0.027) were less inclined to pursue this type of livelihood strategy. The study highlights the prevalence of impoverished households in 2 livelihood strategy clusters, with a notably higher percentage of extremely poor herder households identified in Cluster 1 (27.5%) than Cluster 2 (10.7%). The findings suggest that the government should consider implementing measures to transition nonfarm animal–related products and activities into a sustainable livelihood option. Furthermore, it is recommended that policies supporting diversified livelihood strategies take precedence in efforts to break the cycle of poverty.

We present the Andean Social–Ecological Observatory Network (ROSA, for Red de Observatorios Socioecológicos Andinos), a continent-wide monitoring initiative established to address major challenges in the management of knowledge on social–ecological systems (SES) in the Andes. The Andes, the longest mountain chain in the world, provide key ecosystem services for human wellbeing across the continent. However, the region faces multiple impacts associated with climate change and land-use change related to demographic transitions, and thus long-term monitoring is key for developing adaptation strategies to this environmental change. ROSA constitutes a bottom-up initiative to systematize and integrate social and ecological monitoring efforts into observatories, and to do so under a coproduced framework that fosters science–policy dialogue and promotes sustainable land management. The main research questions addressed by these social–ecological observatories include understanding how distant and proximate drivers of change interact with local social, cultural, economic, and environmental contexts to influence the functioning of different SES in the Andes at multiple spatial and temporal scales. We describe the origins, structure, objectives, and strategies of ROSA and key challenges faced by different monitoring networks working in the region with regard to data generation and knowledge transfer. Currently, ROSA consists of 8 nodal observatories, comprising more than 50 monitoring initiatives focused on hydroclimate, ecological, and land-use dimensions. The bottom-up structure of ROSA is founded on proven expertise in long-term data gathering and analyses and on the strong commitment of nodal monitoring groups. Effective codesign and participatory monitoring are being developed so that ROSA can contribute to knowledge coproduction for sustainable land management.

Mountain areas are defined by their high relief energy, dynamic nature, and diverse geo-, hydro-, eco-, and anthroposystems. They are significantly affected by climate change and globalization, presenting complex research challenges from local to global scales (Klein et al 2019). Since 2006, the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research (IGF), Austrian Academy of Sciences, has focused on human–environment relations, with long-term monitoring in areas such as biodiversity, population and settlement, glaciers, protected areas, natural hazards, digital landscapes, and social–ecological transformations. Over the past year, IGF's team has identified the main challenges of mountain research through a series of workshops. The 3 Ds—Drivers, Diversity, and Dynamics—emerged as central factors for gaining new knowledge and promoting sustainability transformations in mountain regions. New ways of conducting research and activities, including long-term living labs and the integration of artificial intelligence for data-based multi- and transscalar analyses, are being implemented to support this research.