Sustainable management of natural resources in African and Asian mountains

African and Asian mountains and highlands are ecoregions of particular importance for sustainable development due to their intensive land-use systems, their generally low economic productivity and integration, and the increasing rates of land degradation and mountain hazards. Opportunities for sustainable development exist, if ways to overcome land degradation can be found. The percentage of people who are engaged in subsistence agriculture can be reduced in favor of the secondary and tertiary sectors, protected areas can be better managed, access to remote areas improved, mountain waters utilized in a more integrated highland-lowland interaction, and mechanisms to manage conflicts developed. Research in support of sustainable development needs to focus on transdisciplinary approaches in order to develop appropriate technologies, improve land-management systems, and most importantly, create an enabling institutional environment. international cooperation is an essential tool for exchanging and communicating successful experiences from the local level to regional levels.