Call for papers on “Observing Mountains and Sharing Knowledge”

Mountain Research and Development is planning a Focus Issue on “Observing Mountains and Sharing Knowledge”. The speed, nature, and dimension of changes in mountains pose complex challenges for mountain societies and mountain ecosystems. How can these changes be observed? How can one achieve an integrated perspective of change with a view to supporting sustainable development? MRD is seeking well-validated insights into processes of observation and knowledge sharing on social-ecological systems in mountains. Notes of intent are due on 18 Nov 2014; full papers are due by 28 Feb 2015.

• Full call for papers: http://www.mrd-journal.org/pdf/MRD_call_Observing_Mountains_Sharing_Knowledge.pdf
• Read about the journal’s section policies, guidelines and submission procedure at: http://www.mrd-journal.org/

• What are effective means and processes for integrating scientific, professional, local, and traditional knowledge across temporal, spatial, and governance scales?
• What observation approaches succeed in helping to advance sustainable development?
• How can the information needs of governments, communities, and other stakeholders be assessed, and how can findings from observations best be put to use for them?

• How can mountain-specific social data be meaningfully related to, and portrayed alongside, biophysical data? And what might be the role of models in articulating data of different types?
• What new insights do we gain from observing mountains from space?
• What insights are there into causal chains that convert drivers into impacts within mountain social-ecological systems and finally into social responses?