Although mountain regions are thought to be at lower risk of plant invasions, the diversity and cover of non-native plants is increasing in many alpine ecosystems, including the Andes. We reviewed vegetation surveys in Aconcagua Provincial Park in the dry Andes of Argentina to determine what non-native plants occur in the park and if their distribution is associated with tourism use. This high-altitude park is a popular tourism destination for hikers, with nearly all access by foot and pack animals (mules and horses) that are used for transport. Non-native plant diversity was low (21 species in the region, 16 species in the park) compared to some other mountain regions but included common mountain species from Europe, most of which can be dispersed by tourists and commercial operators on clothing and by pack animal dung. Nearly all non-native plants were restricted to lower altitudes, with no non-natives found above 3420 masl. Most non-native plants were restricted to sites disturbed by tourism use, particularly areas trampled by hikers and pack animals, except for 2 common non-native species, Taraxacum officinale and Convolvulus arvensis, which were also found in undisturbed vegetation. The relatively low cover and diversity of non-native plants at higher-altitude sites may reflect one or a combination of the following: climatic barriers, less human disturbance, and a lag in the dispersal of non-native species from lower altitudes within the park. This study highlights that even protected mountain areas with limited prior human use and nearly no road access can be invaded by non-native plants because of their popularity as mountaineer destinations. Management actions that could help minimize the further spread of non-native plants include limiting the introduction of non-native seeds on vehicles, clothing, and equipment and in dung; reducing trampling damage by restricting visitor use to designated trails; and restoring damaged sites.

Soil and water conservation (SWC) measures are needed to control erosion and sustain agricultural production in mountain regions. This study assessed the costs and benefits of indigenous SWC measures in a predominantly rural watershed in Sikkim Himalaya, India, from 2009 to 2010. Physical data were obtained through field measurements of soil erosion and runoff in plots with and without SWC measures; further information was collected through a structured questionnaire survey of 150 farm households. Major costs and benefits of various measures implemented in the study area were quantified using net present value, internal rate of return, time horizon, discount rate, payback period, and sensitivity analysis. For a 10-year period and with a 6% discount rate, all the practices were found to have a positive net present value and to help ensure economic and environmental sustainability. The sensitivity analysis showed that the most widespread SWC practices are worth implementing. Some practices not only prevented nutrient loss and retained soil moisture but also provided additional income and increased crop yield. Our findings suggest that agroforestry and vegetative barriers are the most favorable practices.

This study estimated average annual soil loss and clarified its spatial distribution and impact on reservoirs in the upper Mekong River basin in Yunnan Province, China. A quantitative grid-based estimation was made using a Universal Soil Loss Equation model in a geographic information system framework, along with remote sensing and other source data. The results suggest that the average annual soil loss in most of the area ranged from 0 to 2853 t/ha/y, with a mean value of 19.8 t/ha/y. We estimated that a little more than half (61.0%) of the study area undergoes minimal erosion; this was primarily observed in the south, and more particularly in the southeast portion of the study area. Almost one fifth (19.2%) of the study area was estimated to undergo low erosion; this was primarily found in the central and southwest portions of the study area. Moderate soil erosion was observed in 8.5% of the study area. We estimated 11.3% of the study area to undergo high or extreme erosion; these locations were concentrated in the northern part of the study area. Soil erosion appeared most frequently at the mean elevation and mean slope zone. Dams on the upper reaches were found to be threatened by the presence of sediment.

The globalization of environmental issues is characterized by representations and initiatives at the global level, but it is also present in the processes of institutionalization of new local and regional scales of action. Over the past decade, and following the promotion of mountains as a global common good, growing attention has been paid to the mountain regions of South East Europe. A large number of international organizations with differing mandates embarked on a variety of initiatives using mountains for their cooperative region-building efforts. The process by which these actors identify scales of action and construct relevant regions has been studied by some scholars, but rarely for South East Europe. The first objective of this article is to follow the emergence of mountains as a growing reference for the regionalization of environmental initiatives and underline the major role played by international organizations. The second objective is to present the mountain initiatives and understand how, in relation to South East Europe, regions for environmental governance are being defined in a broader context (scaling), and for what kinds of issues (framing). Furthermore, this article shows the extent to which these initiatives refer to similar or different scaling and framing processes.

Rainfall erosivity (R-factor) is an important variable used in soil erosion estimation models. In Costa Rica, the R-factor was computed for 106 stations across the country by Wilhelm-Günther Vahrson in 1990. These results provided the main input information for this study, which used them to estimate the R-factor for Costa Rica. Regression equations were computed to estimate the R-factor for the Caribbean slope, the Pacific slope, and the country as a whole. Forward stepwise analysis and multiple regression analysis were employed to determine the regression coefficients for each developed equation. Elevation and monthly rainfall had a strong influence on the definition of the R-factor equations. The Modified Fournier Index variable was included only in the national-scale equation as a good proxy for the mean annual precipitation effect at each site. Inclusion of elevation in all equations reflects the importance of the transitional effect of high-intensity convective rainfall in the lowlands and low-intensity orographic rainfall in the highlands. This study provides an easy way to estimate the R-factor using regression equations that require only simple and readily available geophysical information. The use of these equations in conjunction with soil and land-use maps as well as digital elevation models will allow the estimation and evaluation of soil erosion on a watershed scale in Costa Rica. This will also improve the application of other hydrological models that require soil erosion as an input variable to estimate sediment yields.

The Fedchenko glacier system harbors the longest glacier (77 km) outside of the polar areas. It has a great influence on the local economy and ecology as a water resource. The glacier area in the Fedchenko basin was investigated using Landsat TM images in 1992, Landsat ETM images in 2000, and ALOS/AVNIR2 images in 2006. The total area was 835.9 km² in 1992, 830.0 km² in 2000, and 864.8 km² in 2006, increasing by 3.46% from 1992 to 2006 (an average rate of 0.25% per year). The Fedchenko glacier system is relatively stable when considering glacier surging and data errors. Reanalysis data (eg for temperature and precipitation) from the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction and National Center for Atmospheric Research suggest that increasing precipitation since 1990 probably caused the slight change in glacier area.

With its mandate to work on natural resource management, food security, and livelihoods and its attention to the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has played a leading role in sustainable mountain development for many years. In 1992, FAO was appointed task manager for Chapter 13 of Agenda 21 entitled Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development (UNCED 1992) and acted as the lead agency for the International Year of Mountains in 2002. FAO is a member of the Mountain Partnership and hosts its Secretariat. From 2003 onward, FAO has also been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to lead the annual observance of International Mountain Day on 11 December. Every two years, FAO prepares the Secretary General's Report to the United Nations General Assembly, in which it describes the status of sustainable mountain development at the national and international levels and provides suggestions for consideration by the Assembly. This statement reviews the latest actions in FAO's program on sustainable mountain development, watershed management, and forest hydrology, which includes normative work, a strong field program, and support for international processes. In addition, it summarizes the latest achievements of the Mountain Partnership.