Mountain Research and Development
The leading international scientific journal specifically devoted to sustainable development in the world’s mountains

Published by the International Mountain Society (IMS)

Mountain Research and Development Journal
Alpacas grazing a fenced Andean peatland—or bofedal—in Sajama National Park, Bolivia. Photo by Tom Perreault

Adaptive Livelihoods in Andean Pastoralism: Community-Based Institutions, Peatland Management, and Migration in Sajama National Park, Bolivia

This study suggests that community-based land tenure arrangements can support temporary labor migration among pastoralists by incentivizing migrants to return and keep animals in their home communities.

View of Huaraz and surroundings in the Peruvian Andes—one of the world’s many mountain regions facing unprecedented change. Photo by Wolfgang Gurgiser
Call for papers/Focus IssueCall for papers open

Collaborative Research for Sustainable Mountain Futures—Special Issue from the International Mountain Conference 2025

We invite papers emerging from recent research collaborations across different disciplines, experiences, and geographic and cultural perspectives that are slated for presentation at IMC2025.

Polylepis stakes are being collected for propagation in the communal nursery. Photo courtesy of The Mountain Institute

Restoration of Andean Forests Using a Socioecological Approach: A Case Study from the Aquia Mountain Community in Peru

Based on a document analysis and postproject interviews, the authors examine this model restoration project’s procedures and outcomes and pinpoint key success factors.

Olive trees in the terraced landscape of the High Atlas. Sustaining livelihoods and cultural identity, olive is the main cultural keystone species here. Photo by Tobias Plieninger

Farm Trees as Cultural Keystone Species: Bridging Biocultural Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Morocco High Atlas Mountains

Awareness of the cultural role of farm trees like olive, walnut, and almond can enhance biocultural conservation, stewardship of existing trees, and sustainable development in Mediterranean mountains.

Springs are essential sources of water for mountain communities in Nepal’s mid-hills. © Jitendra Raj Bajracharya/ICIMOD
Open IssuePublished

Open Issue

Benefits and costs of spring revival in Nepal, the Andean Social–Ecological Observatory Network, or Iranian herders’ livelihood strategies: read about these and other topics in this open issue.

Urbanization, mountain entrepreneurs, and more

Articles examine rural–urban change in Peru, cultural ecosystem services in Armenia, rural development in Georgia, and governance for sustainable development in the European Alps.