Mountain Forests in a Changing World

A quarter of the world’s forests are in mountain areas. These forests typically have high biodiversity, and provide many goods and services for people both in the mountains and the lowlands, often far away.

Mountain forests are important as sources of wood, as well as other products such as medical herbs. When managed well, they are also vital for ensuring reliable supplies of high-quality water and for protection against natural hazards such as avalanches, landslides and floods. They are also the setting for tourism and many recreational activities.

As a contribution to the International Year of Forests, 2011, the Centre for Mountain Studiescoordinated the production of a report entitled 'Mountain forests in a changing world: Realizing values, addressing challenges'.

The report was commissioned by the Swiss Agency for Deveopment and Cooperation and published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The report presents the many values of mountain forests, outlines current challenges for their management, and proposes recommendations for their sustainable management.

Full citation: Price, M., Gratzer, G., Duguma, L.A., Kohler, T., Maselli, D., and Romeo, R. (eds.) (2011). Mountain Forests in a Changing World - Realising Values, addressing
challenges. FAO, Rome.