"It provides valuable insight into recent research conducted in the Southeastern European mountain regions. And thus it can be of interest to a diverse audience, including students, researchers and practitioners of different fields, e.g. in the fields of geography, ecology, environmental studies and tourism. ... it reaches its goal of providing multiple pieces of evidence that sustainability principles should be used at every scale of geo-ecologic planning in mountain regions." (Eszter Tanács, Hungarian Geographical Bulletin, Vol. 66 (1), 2017)
Part I. Sustainable Policies in Mountain Regions
Mountain Development Policies in Bulgaria: Practices and Challenges
Cooperation models and pluri-activity to exhaust value added potentials in mountain regions
Part II. Natural Resources and Ecosystem Services: Adaptation to Climate Change
Applications of GIS-based Hydrological Models in Mountain Areas in Bulgaria for Ecosystem Services Assessment – Issues and Advantages
Mapping carbon storage using land cover/land use data in area of Beklemeto, Central Balkan
Consequences of non-intervention management for the development of subalpine spruce forests in Bulgaria
A Model Assessment on the Technical Climate Change Adaptation Options of the Major Ski Resorts in Bulgaria
Hydric significance of landscape in mountain river basin
Part III. Mountain Economies
Small scale mountain tourism in Bulgaria development patterns and sustainability implications
Beyond existing e-tourism for mountains: findings from the case of Zagori, Greece
Sustainable tourism in mountain destinations: The actual and perceived role of a Destination Management Organization Part IV. Mountain Ecology, Risks and Protected Areas
Biodiversity protection of the forest ecosystems on the base of representative geo-ecosystems
Predicting the potential distribution of Ailanthus altissima invasive terrestrial plant species in Măcin Mountains National Park (Romania)
Determination of the Landscapes Regulation Capacity and Their Role in the Prevention of Catastrophic Events: A Case Study from the Lom River Upper Valley, Bulgaria
GIS and RS-based modeling of potential natural hazard areas
Spatial discrepancies of ecological networks in the border region of Serbia and Bulgaria
Invasive plant species in the Northern part of Mala Planina
Part V. Population and Heritage Challenges
Monitoring glacier changes with the use of archive images: the example of the Julian Alps (NW Slovenia, NE Italy)
Tourism and the Commodification of Cultural Heritage in the Eastern Black Sea Mountains, Turkey
The role of cultural heritage in developing of mountain tourism: The case study of Mountain Rudnik, Serbia
Central to this edited volume is the proposition that the mountainous border region of Southeastern Europe needs to become a special target of European Union scale, regional development policy-making. Vivid case studies from eleven Central and Southeast European states present diverse perspectives on this region’s physical geography, economy and demographics and demonstrate the integrative potential of the geographic perspective in mountain research. Europe as a whole has a lot to gain from a “sustainable mountains” policy, especially in Southeast Europe. In their focus on the sustainable development of such areas, the chapters consider regional development policy, ecosystem services assessment, small-scale tourism, and forestry management.
This book will be of interest to a wide audience, including academics, students, and practitioners in the fields of geography, ecology, and environmental studies.