iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

“Participatory visioning can act as a replicable inclusive tool to move communities from being merely heard to cocreating situated, governable futures,” say Theo Lynn and colleagues. In their new article, they present a structured facilitation tool: doi.org/10.1659/mrd.... #MountainsMatter

Caption: Impression from a workshop in Utsjoki, Finland, May 2025. (Photo by Mikko Jokinen)
Description: Photo showing women and men of different ages sitting at tables in a large room, thinking and discussing. Some have a laptop in front of them, others have notebooks, pens, and printed handouts.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Creative tourism offers a regenerative pathway for marginalized mountainous areas, provided it is locally driven and supported by place-based policies and context-sensitive strategies. Read how in the new article by Fiona Eva Bakas and coauthors: doi.org/10.1659/mrd.... #MountainsMatter

Caption: Traditional dancing in Lika, Croatia—one of the study sites. Photo by Hrvoje Kostelac.
Description: The photo shows the feet and skirts of traditional dancers in motion on a wooden floor. They are wearing soft white shoes with colorful trimmings, white stockings, white cotton skirts, and red or black sashes.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

“This transnational history of Alpine hydroelectricity from the mid-19th century to the present is masterfully realized in a highly accessible book of manageable proportions.” Read Jörg Balsiger’s review of “Mountain Battery” by Marc Landry: doi.org/10.1659/mrd.... @stanfordpress.bsky.social

Cover of the book “Mountain Battery: The Alps, Water, and Power in the Fossil Fuel Age” by Mark Landry. The title and the author’s name are printed across a painting of a bird’s-eye view of a large hydropower plant in a mountain landscape. In the distance, there are snow-covered mountains, below them lies a lake dammed by what looks like a natural rock formation. Below this, in the foreground, is a lake and a flat area, at the edge of which there are a few buildings. A bundle of large pipes leads from near the top of the rock formation down the slope to the largest of the buildings.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

For 45 years, MRD has turned mountain research into real-world impact. Help us keep this unique not-for-profit platform open, innovative, and accessible for all. Donate today! t.ly/yrkWx #MountainResearch #SustainableMountainDevelopment #OpenPublishing

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

We are saddened to share the news of the passing of Hans Hurni, our editor-in-chief from 2000 to 2016, on 27 September 2026. Hans was a great inspiration and mentor to countless colleagues and students around the world. Read our short obituary: t.ly/z5uc0

Hans Hurni during research in Ethiopia in 2012. (Photo by Vincent Roth)

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

“LiDAR enables efficient monitoring of remote mountain forests, but improving the accuracy of spaceborne biomass and canopy estimates is essential for sustainable forest management,” say Smita Das and coauthors. Read their study from the Annapurna region to find out more: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Caption: Smita Das scans a tree with a ZEB-Horizon mobile laser scanner. Photo by Prakash Basnet
Description: Photo showing the first author in a hazy forest, holding a laser scanner in her left hand, touching a fairly thin tree chalk-marked number 1 with her right hand and looking up to the tree’s crown, which is outside the photo. She is wearing jeans and jacket. The air looks humid and cold.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

“This is not an academic book; it is a book that narrates human–mountain relationships through a mosaic of images and narratives,” writes Bibiana Vilá in her review of “Nosotros, los Andes” (We, the #Andes), edited by Rebecca Jarman and Victoria Vargas-Downing. doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Cover of the book. It shows a schematic, two-dimensional representation of a mountain landscape with a high mountain in the background and lower mountains and a lake in the foreground. Each layer has a uniform color. The colors are warm, with brown, red and orange dominating. The title is spelled in large capital letters across the sky, and the editors are indicated in small capital letters across the bottom of the book. These elements are also in brown, red, and orange.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Digital divides persist in Austria, despite its target of full gigabit coverage by 2030. A new study by Erika Quendler and Florian Stender @bab.gv.at shows that mountainous terrain is a key barrier to farm broadband access in the Austrian Alps and requires policy attention. doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Caption: Valley municipality of Heiligenblut am Grossglockner, Kärnten, Austria: How well are its inhabitants connected to the internet? (Photo courtesy of Magnific, www.magnific.com)
Description: Photo of a village in a flat valley lined by steep, densely forested mountains. The photo is taken from an elevated position, looking diagonally across the valley. In the middle of the valley, houses line a road running parallel to a tree-lined river. The rest of the flat valley floor is taken up by fields. More houses and a church sit on the near slope, partly hidden by trees. The sky is cloudy.Photo of a village in a flat valley lined by steep, densely forested mountains. The photo is taken from an elevated position, looking diagonally across the valley. In the middle of the valley, houses line a road running parallel to a tree-lined river. The rest of the flat valley floor is taken up by fields. More houses and a church sit on the near slope, partly hidden by trees. The sky is cloudy.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Older adults in mountain villages age in place through resilience—but they face compound risks from infrastructure gaps, demographic decline, and climate change. Policy support is needed. Read Merve Altundal Öncü’s qualitative study from Türkiye’s Eastern Black Sea Mountains: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Caption: Traditional highland (yayla) settlement in the Hemşin mountains, Eastern Black Sea region, Türkiye. Seasonal mobility and strong place attachment play an important role for older adults. (Photo by Merve Altundal Öncü)
Description: The photo shows a mountain landscape featuring a small settlement of scattered houses built from stone and wood on a mountain pasture below steep grassy slopes speckled with stones. Fog partially covers the mountain ridge in the background, while sunlight illuminates the settlement as well as the grass and scattered rocks on the small floodplain in the foreground.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Emine Keleş Özgenç and coauthors analyzed past and future land use dynamics in the Yıldız Mountains Basin, Türkiye. They show that forest ecosystems are likely to expand in the future, and highlight the opportunities this offers for ecological restoration. Read their article: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Caption: This riparian forest landscape in the İğneada Longoz area illustrates the interaction between forest ecosystems, water bodies, and natural landscape dynamics in the Yıldız Mountains Basin. Photo by Nilay Mısırlı.
Alt text: Photo of a small waterfall in a river, surrounded by green forest on gentle slopes and a slightly cloudy sky. The landscape features calm water, flat rocks, and various types of trees.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Ivo Baselt and coauthors link knowledge on postfire and frozen soil runoff dynamics, proposing an interdisciplinary research agenda to improve prediction, #riskreduction, and sustainable management of compound hydro-geomorphic #hazards in Europe’s mountains. Read the article: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Image showing a burned forest landscape in the left half and a snow-covered, frozen forest landscape in the right half, each with a stream running toward us. Mountains are visible in the background. In the left half of the image, fires are blazing on forested slopes, with thick black smoke rising into the sky. In the right half of the image, high mountains are covered in snow and ice, and the sky is mostly overcast. The image, generated by Ivo Baselt using the Midjourney image generator with a custom scientific prompt, illustrates that postfire surface runoff following wildfire disturbance and frozen soil surface runoff during snowmelt and rain-on-snow conditions can occur within the same catchment and may interact under changing climate conditions.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

A new issue is complete! Read about links between rural outmigration and land use change in Argentina, participatory digital mapping and local learning in Nepal, a tool to support land use decisions in Ethiopia, adaptive strategies of small ski areas in Japan, and more. bioone.org/toc/mred/46/2

Cover of Mountain Research and Development Volume 46 Number 2, with a photo by Ana L. Dip Yordanoff showing around twenty white and beige goats facing the camera in the golden evening sun. They are inside a corral built against a stone wall from logs, wooden beams, and coarse wire netting. Trees and a plastic tarp placed across some of the beams provide some shade. A single goat is grazing outside the corral, closer to the camera, in a yard that is no longer sunlit. Above the trees, a dry-looking, rocky mountain range stretches beneath a blue sky with white clouds. Photo caption: Goats in a corral in the High Monte of Northwest Argentina. The animals graze during the day and are returned to the corral at sunset to prevent predation. Rural outmigration in the region is coupled with a marked reduction in livestock herd sizes, as an article in this issue shows.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

In a MountainViews article, Ankit Mishra and Samanta Sahu point to a blind spot in Hindu Kush Himalaya transboundary landscape conservation: It overlooks micro-endemic species. The authors call for fine-resolution monitoring to complement the transboundary landscape approach: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Photo © Ankit Mishra. Caption: Alpine meadow in Gnathang Valley, East Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya, at approximately 3800 m elevation, with flowering herbs and cushion plants typical of high-elevation micro-endemic communities that lie outside existing transboundary conservation monitoring frameworks.
Description: Wide-angle photograph of a lush alpine meadow. Dense green grass and low-growing yellow wildflowers cover the valley floor and lower slopes. Scattered granite boulders and rocky terrain are visible in the foreground. The bare ridgeline rises steeply in the background against a partly cloudy blue sky.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Small-scale participatory digital hazard mapping interventions can foster local learning and strengthen community resilience in remote, resource-restricted mountain communities. Rongkun Liu and coauthors say how, based on a study in Nepal: doi.org/10.1659/mrd.... @icimod.bsky.social #MountainsMatter

Photo by Rongkun Liu. Caption: A participant in the digital mapping intervention shows a nonparticipating fellow villager the smartphone app, the digital map, and its functions during a social gathering. Photo description: Two are men standing in a yard next to the porch of a building, bent over a smartphone that one of them is holding. He is pointing at something on the phone screen and explaining, the other man is looking at the phone and listening. Behind them is a leafy green hedge, with mountains across the valley showing above it.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

#CallforPapers on drought dynamics and futures in mountain regions! We seek systematic assessments of initiatives addressing drought in mountains, empirical research on drought processes and impacts, and agendas for policy, development, or research: t.ly/AgJrB ⌛1 week left to send notice of intent!

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

In a MountainPlatform article, Paola Fontanella Pisa and coauthors of #GLOMOS present the systemic, participatory research approach the program takes to foster resilience and reduce risks in mountain social-ecological-technological systems. Read the article and find out more: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Photo © Heber Sosa Fabre. Lina Rodriguez, coauthor of this article, as well as a woman from the local community and another from Wetlands International are standing in a small fenced area around a solar panel mounted on a post, engaged in conversation. The younger woman is holding the lid of a water well. The well and panel are located in a vast, sparsely vegetated plain. Fences are visible in the distance. The plain is surrounded by distant mountains.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

“Research on mountain landraces boosts local economies, strengthens agrobiodiversity, and promotes sustainable development and food security,” say Alex Alberto and coauthors. Read their article on how @unimont.bsky.social works to safeguard mountain plant agrobiodiversity: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Carciofo di Malegno (Cynara cardunculus L subsp scolymus (L) Hayek)—the only Italian landrace of artichoke currently known that is cultivated in a mountain area—is used by a local distillery to make a unique liqueur. The photo by Davide Pedrali shows a close-up of an artichoke plant from the side, with a rock and a fence in the near background and clouded, forested mountains in the distance.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

“The book vividly describes the landscape based on 25 years of interdisciplinary monitoring and research": Read Harald Pauli’s review of “Alpine Ökosysteme im Schweizerischen Nationalpark: Die Seenplatte Macun” edited by Stefanie Gubler and Christopher T. Robinson: doi.org/10.1659/mrd.... @scnat.ch

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

“These books are a tribute to all the researchers,” writes Davnah Urbach in her review of “A Scientific Bibliography of the Far Northern Drakensberg” and “A Scientific Bibliography of the Waterberg, Makgabeng Plateau, Blouberg and Soutpansberg” by Rodney Moffett. Read on: bioone.org/doi/10.1659/...

The two book covers are shown side by side against a gray background. Both covers are taken up entirely by photos of landscapes in the regions covered, with the titles and the author name printed across the photos.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

How is migration in northwest Argentina’s High Monte affecting land use? Ana L. Dip Yordanoff, @sofiananni.bsky.social, and Sofía Marinaro Fuentes show that valley areas with suitable farmland attract people, while highland areas face outmigration and a decline in livestock: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Photo by Ana L. Dip Yordanoff showing the view from a vantage point across a small valley with a river. Across the river there are vineyards, surrounded by trees. A large, lone house sits on top of the ridge, against the background of another ridge and, further in the hazy distance, high mountains. The photo shows the expansion of viticulture in the valleys of northwest Argentina’s High Monte. The vineyard area is managed as a key tourist service, overlooked by the boutique winery, situated above the cultivation zone. This illustrates how new services are being established in the valley areas, shifting land use patterns and transforming local labor dynamics.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

“The strongest feeling I had after reading the book was inspiration,” writes Mark Carey in his review of “The Voices of Glaciers” by Ignacio Palomo, Sofía Lana, Antoine Rabatel, and Oliver Dangles. Read the full review: doi.org/10.1659/mrd.... @ird-fr.bsky.social @unesco.bsky.social #MountainsMatter

Cover of the book. It is taken up entirely by a photo that shows four women from behind, standing side by side in the grass, dressed in warm, mostly traditional clothes, facing Huayana Potosi mountain during a Challa ceremony. The title and authors are printed at the top, across the sky, and the logos of the publishers, UNESCO and IRD Éditions, are placed at the bottom, across the grass.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

A new article by Menale Wondie and coauthors describes how they applied the analytic hierarchy process method to evaluate land management scenarios together with farmers, agricultural experts, and local decision-makers in the Ethiopian Highlands, enabling informed decisions: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Photo by Menale Wondie showing focus group discussions in Tara Gedam watershed in 2013. Three groups of men in local clothing are sitting in a harvested field, some discussing, some looking at printed-out materials and thinking, some taking notes. One man in a red T-shirt is squatting next to a collection of materials, also taking notes. A tree grows in the far corner of the field. A donkey is grazing in the background, and further in the background, hills are visible in the haze.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

How can small, municipally run ski areas with aging infrastructure survive in still snow-rich Hokkaido, Japan? A study by Shumpei Kurosawa analyzes their adaptive strategies and showcases successful local initiatives while calling for supportive policies. Read his article: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Minami Furano, a small, municipally owned ski area with little outside tourism. The photo by Shumpei Kurosawa shows a gentle mountain slope at dusk, with a rope-tow ski lift and a piste on either side of it, each lined by forest, and the lift station in the foreground. It is past closing time, so there are no skiers. A man stands next to the lift station.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

We’re excited to welcome topic editors Biraj Adhikari, Sunetra Ghatak, H. Ricardo Grau, and Denis Samyn to the editorial team! In the next 3 years, they will oversee the peer review and revision of submissions within their respective topics and promote MRD among their networks. Read more: t.ly/llqcS

Head-and-shoulder portraits of Biraj Adhikari, Sunetra Ghatak, H. Ricardo Grau, and Denis Samyn.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Mountain Tourism—Trends and Transformations Toward Sustainability and Resilience: Articles in our new focus issue offer insights on efforts to adapt mountain tourism to climate change and to transform the sector for greater sustainability, equity, and resilience. See here: bioone.org/toc/mred/46/1

Cover of Mountain Research and Development, Vol 46, No 1. The cover photo, taken by Jean Miczka, shows the view down a rocky slope toward the Mer de Glace glacier, with numerous people walking on metal stairs and bridges connecting our vantage point to the glacier. This infrastructure is needed to keep the glacier accessible to tourists as it melts and exposes more and more steep rock.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

How do small tourism destinations in the European Alps translate climate adaptation strategies into concrete measures to sustain their economies and safeguard their mountain resources? Philipp Corradini and Agnese Moroni provide an analysis and identify promising pathways: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

"Climate change adaptation should not be a journey into the unknown": The photo by Michele Maggi shows a view from a chairlift taking us and other tourists uphill into the fog. On one side of the lift, the slope is forested; the few deciduous trees among the evergreens have yellowed. On the other side of the lift, the slope is used as pasture, with a few cows grazing in the yellowed grass. A water tub for the cows, a fence, and three parked trucks are visible at the lower end of the pasture.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

During a research exchange in Kenya, Theresa Tribaldos and coauthors explored how future research could better harness synergies between food system sustainability and ecosystem restoration. They found including young people in farming and resource governance is crucial: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Small-scale farming in the hills of Makueni County, Kenya. A hilly landscape fades away in the haze. The clearly visible, gently sloping hill in the foreground is covered in a mosaic of terraced fields of maize and patches of shrubby woodlands, interspersed with a few houses. Photo by Theresa Tribaldos

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

MRD’s International Editorial Board has started a new term. The editors thank all previous members for their highly valued service and warmly welcome several new members. We’re excited to work with such a diverse group of renowned experts from around the world! See who they are: t.ly/NtVQq

A highly diverse flowering mountain meadow in sunny weather. A single tree and a distant mountain are visible in the background. Photo by Marlène Thibault

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

In a new study in the Catalan Pyrenees, Joan Rabassa-Juvanteny and Bernat Claramunt-López show how accounting for #naturalcapital in mountain resorts can strengthen sustainability, resilience, and responsible tourism management under climate change: doi.org/10.1659/mrd.... @creaf.cat @uab.cat

This ski lift and the adjacent piste in Vall de Núria, photographed in summer, each cut through the mountain forest, influencing ecosystem connectivity. They exemplify the complex interactions between human activity and nature in ski and mountain resorts. Photo by Joan Rabassa-Juvanteny.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

... and if you're particularly interested in #mountain pastoralism and rangelands, see here for a list of all MRD articles on that topic, including the ones from our 2021 focus issue on "Pastoralism and Rangelands in Mountains": t.ly/RLoW7 Photo by Zahir Ahmad

Herders graze sheep and goats on an alpine pasture in the Eastern Hindu Kush. Vegetation is fairly sparse, and a ravine and a steep mountainside are visible in the background. Photo by Zahir Ahmad

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

“Poorly planned tourism and infrastructure development heighten climate risks in Kinnaur, Western Himalaya. Locally led, equitable, and culturally and ecologically grounded sustainable approaches are needed,” says Aghaghia Rahimzadeh. Read her ethnographic study: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Traffic stops on the National Highway in Kinnaur, Western Himalaya, as a landslide happening around the bend fills the air with dust. The Highway is carved into a very steep, rocky slope. Four vehicles are standing still, a few people are standing outside of them, waiting. Photo © Aghaghia Rahimzadeh

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

How do summer tourists experience forest ecosystem services under climate change? Laura Barraclough and Katharina Pöll examined this in Austria’s Stubai valley. They provide insights that can guide management of ecosystem services and tourist offerings. Read their article: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

A wooden cross with a bench and a small wooden shrine with a statue of the Virgin Mary mark Niederl, a mountain pass on the Stubaier Höhenweg trail in the Austrian Alps. It leads across a fairly steep, rocky and partly grassy ridge with a rocky summit next to it. Another, parallel mountain range is visible in the background. Hot summer temperatures could make hiking here more taxing. Photo by Laura Barraclough.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

A new article by Jean Miczka and colleagues analyzes how mountain huts in the western European Alps are being adapted to climate change, what the challenges are, and how adaptation could be improved. Recommendations include ensuring long-term coordination. Find out more: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Saleinaz Mountain Hut in the Swiss Alps is perched high above a steep slope, facing the cliffs and glaciers of Mont Dolent. The hut is small and built of stone, with a metal roof and two wooden extensions attached. Next to it is a small terrace with two tables and a few chairs. Photo by Jean Miczka.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Mountain guides in the Canadian Rockies face growing climate risks. Katherine Hanly and Graham McDowell show that their adaptive capacity is shaped by social factors and institutional barriers. They point to ways of strengthening guides’ resilience and livelihoods. Read more: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

The Bow Falls area of Banff National Park reflects the intersection of climate change, tourism, and guiding practice. As landscapes shift and visitor pressures evolve, guides and institutions face complex questions of adaptation, resilience, and policy response in Canada’s most visited mountain destinations. The photo by Katherine Hanly shows a vast glaciated and snow-covered landscape in the background, with a waterfall running into a turquoise lake enclosed by rocky cliffs, from which another waterfall runs into a partly forested valley below.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

Another issue is complete! Articles examine changes in yak herding in Nepal, challenges in implementing science–society interaction policies in mountain biosphere reserves worldwide, and topography’s role in socioeconomic development in the European Alps. Read the issue: bioone.org/toc/mred/45/4

Cover page of Mountain Research and Development, Volume 45, Number 4. The cover photo by Dipak Raj Rai shows countless pieces of chhurpi—a hard cheese made from yak buttermilk—stored on overhead racks in a dark room with an earthen floor, stone walls, and a black wooden ceiling. The room also contains a wooden chair, baskets, and various other utensils. The chhurpi was produced by a private dairy in Gatlang, Nepal. While the state-supported marketization of yak products has boosted some households’ income, it is simultaneously eroding traditional sustainable herding practices and causing environmental degradation, as shown in the article by Indra Mani Rai and colleagues in this issue.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

In a study of science–society interactions in 18 mountain biosphere reserves across 4 continents, A. Mitrofanenko and coauthors find that the reserves hold great potential to link science and society in advancing sustainability—but tapping it requires consistent support. doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

University students engage in a landscape assessment during a field excursion in the Dedoplistskaro Biosphere Reserve, Georgia, guided by a local ranger. They are standing in a circle in a green meadow on a gently sloping ridge, listening to the ranger’s explanations. A wide and flat valley stretches out in the background, lined by another green mountain ridge on its far side. Photo by Alexander Mitrofanenko.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

A new article by M. Lambracht and T. Chilla of @fau.de examines the interplay between topography and socioeconomic factors in the European Alps. It shows that development in mountain regions is never determined by topography alone; other factors are also key. Get the details: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Where relief is dominant: Switzerland’s Lauterbrunnen is an example of a settlement in a topographically challenging environment. The summer scene photographed by Markus Lambracht shows part of the village, including its church, and the vertical cliffs, hundreds of meters high, towering over the narrow valley on both sides. The snowy peaks of the high alps are visible above the cliffs.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

“This book is an ethnographic delight,” writes Peter Phillimore in his review of “Anima: A Wild Pastoral” by Kapka Kassabova. The book describes the lives of transhumant pastoralists and their animals in Bulgaria’s Pirin mountains. Read the review: doi.org/10.1659/mrd.... @jonathancape.bsky.social

Cover of the book entitled Anima: A Wild Pastoral, written by Kapka Kassabova. It shows a photo of a herd of sheep in steep mountain terrain against a background of mountains and valleys fading into the distance.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

In a new article, the #Afromontane Research Unit, University of the Free State, South Africa, presents the #Mozambique Mountain Initiative, a collaborative platform that brings together practitioners involved in the sustainable management of Mozambique’s mountain ecosystems: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

A sunlit brook at the center of Mount Mabu forest, the largest rainforest in Southern Africa, with mossy rocks emerging from the water and lush trees and ferns surrounding it. Photo by Julian Bayliss.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

2/2 In their guest editorial, Jörg Balsiger, Anne B. Zimmermann, João C. Azevedo, and Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt not only present the issue’s articles but also reflect on different framings of innovation and propose considering it as a multidimensional, context-specific concept: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

Innovative adaptive practices in mountain communities often emerge from local resource constraints and community needs, as highlighted by Zhou and He in their contribution to this issue. In Guangming village, Yunnan, China, farmer cooperatives have succeeded in enhancing creation of value added in the local walnut trade by establishing processing facilities, such as this drying facility, in the village. The photo by Weijia Zhou shows a man shoveling walnuts in the drying room. The nuts lie in heaps on an aerated wire mesh floor resting on evenly spaced-out wooden beams; some nuts are packed in mesh bags. The room has light gray walls and a ceiling made of wooden beams.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

1/2 How can innovation contribute to sustainability in mountains? Articles in this focus issue explore the question from different angles, providing insights from China and various European mountain contexts and showcasing the diversity of the concept. Have a look: bioone.org/toc/mred/45/3

Cover of Mountain Research and Development Vol 45, No 3, with a photo by Gusztáv Nemes showing a henhouse made of mud, wood, straw, and stones to keep the animals cool, warm, and safe. It is fitted with a solar-panel-driven door that closes automatically at sunset to keep foxes out. This is an example of hybrid innovation—merging old and new technology—found in a mountain product value chain in Hungary that was among the many mountain product value chains analyzed in one of the articles in the issue.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

Does a circular economy lend itself as a sustainable way forward for high mountain regions? In a Delphi survey among stakeholders in Valle d’Aosta, Italy, Domenico Tassone and Dario Musolino found it would—but transitioning requires cultural change and targeted policies: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....

View of Valle d’Aosta from Bard Fortress. Photo by Dario Musolino.
The flat valley floor with green fields, some trees, and small towns has a powerline, a highway, the river Dora Baltea, and a road running along it. It is nested between steep mountains consisting partly of forested slopes and partly of bare cliffs and rock faces. The stone roof of the fortress is visible in the foreground.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

How can Alpine regions transition to renewables while preserving landscapes and open spaces? Marco Pütz and colleagues discuss the role of spatial planning and propose an agenda for future development and governance: doi.org/10.1659/mrd.... @wslresearch.bsky.social @bokuvienna.bsky.social

A snowy, sunny winter scenery, with the upper station of a ski lift and some skiers the foreground and several hills with numerous wind turbines in the background. These are the wind farms of Pretul, Steinriegel, and Hochpürtschling in Styria, Austria. A total of 48 wind turbines produce 115 MW, providing approximately 75,000 households with electricity. © Schindelegger 2020

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

ICYMI: We are looking for topic editors to join the team! Help shape knowledge for sustainable mountain futures and be part of a unique, not-for-profit, community-supported scientific journal aiming for societal impact! Find out more and apply by 24 Oct: t.ly/PAzBF #AcademicSky #MountainsMatter

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 22/09/2025

We are looking for topic editors to join the team! Help shape knowledge for sustainable mountain futures and be part of a unique, not-for-profit, community-supported scientific journal aiming for societal impact! Find out more and apply by 24 Oct: t.ly/PAzBF #AcademicSky #MountainsMatter

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Market-driven yak herding in Gatlang, Nepal, is threatening traditional sustainable grazing practices. Policies must recognize and integrate these traditional practices to sustain mountain ecosystems. Read the article by Indra Mani Rai and coauthors: doi.org/10.1659/mrd.... #MountainsMatter

A herder takes chauri (female yaks) up a dirt road to the designated pasture for day herding in the village of Gatlang. Photo by Dipak Raj Rai

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

This morning’s #IMC25 session on bridging science, policy, business, and practice for sustainable solutions in mountains was great for exchanging experiences and insights, including from the @unep.org/MRD/@cdeunibe.bsky.social project PRIMA. Thanks to all participants! #SciencePolicy #ResearchImpact

Ansgar Fellendorf of UNEP presenting the PRIMA project.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Big thanks for yesterday’s inspiring training session and energizing networking event at #IMC25. We’re grateful for the learning and connections! #MountainResearch #Collaboration #MountainFutures

MRD associate editor Susanne Wymann von Dach shares useful tips with a diverse audience of mountain researchers on how to get their papers published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Theresa Tribaldos, Managing Director of the International Mountain Society, presents the quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal Mountain Research and Development, which is published by the society.

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Mountain Research and Development @mrdjournal.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

📣 Happening this afternoon/evening at #IMC25: How to get your mountain paper published: A workshop with the editors of MRD and eco.mont 🕓 16:00–17:30 🚩 MCI – SR 303 🔗 t.ly/fJixs IMS and MRD networking workshop, with snacks and drinks 🕓 19:15–20:45 🚩 MCI – SR 303 🔗 t.ly/GOePE

Two photos, the top one showing a researcher interviewing a villager in Nepal (photo by Lilian Trechsel, CDE) and the bottom one showing people networking (photo by Thriday on Unsplash). The photos illustrate the contents of the events announced in the post.

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