Mountains, deserts, savannahs and the polar regions are fragile both in their ecologies and the cultures of their inhabitants. While tourism can provide new sources of revenue and help stem depopulation, it can also destabilise communities.

This book brings together scientists and practitioners from five continents to present their experience in undertaking activities that contribute to our understanding and informed management of mountain areas. In particular, they address the challenges of working in interdisciplinary teams and of effectively involving stakeholders. The result is a powerful book that integrates research from different disciplines in the natural and social sciences, and in some cases indigenous knowledge, to address the question of how knowledge is gained about mountain areas and how can it be integrated and...