This book compiles available knowledge of the response of mountain ecosystems to recent climate and land use change and intends to bridge the gap between science, policy and the community concerned. The chapters present key concepts, major drivers and key processes of mountain response, providing transdisciplinary orientation to mountain studies incorporating experiences of academics, community leaders and policy-makers from developed and less developed countries. The book chapters are arranged in two sections. The first section concerns the response processes of mountain environments to climate change. This section addresses climate change itself (past, current and future changes of temperature and precipitation) and its impacts on the cryosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and human-environment systems. The second section focuses on the response processes of mountain environments to land use/land cover change. The case studies address effects of changing agriculture and pastoralism, forest/water resources management and urbanization processes, landscape management, and biodiversity conservation. The book is designed as an interdisciplinary publication which critically evaluates developments in mountains of the world with contributions from both social and natural sciences.

A superb resource for understanding the diversity of the modern discipline of biogeography, and its history and future, especially within geography departments. I expect to refer to it often. - Professor Sally Horn, University of Tennessee "As you browse through this fine book you will be struck by the diverse topics that biogeographers investigate and the many research methods they use.... Biogeography is interdisciplinary, and a commonly-voiced concern is that one biogeographer may not readily understand another's research findings. A handbook like this is important for synthesising, situating, explaining and evaluating a large literature, and pointing the reader to informative publications." - Geographical Research "A valuable contribution in both a research and teaching context. If you are biologically trained, it provides an extensive look into the geographical tradition of biogeography, covering some topics that may be less familiar to those with an evolution/ecology background. Alternatively, if you are a geography student, researcher, or lecturer, it will provide a useful reference and will be invaluable to the non-biogeographer who suddenly has the teaching of an introductory biogeography course thrust upon them." - Adam C. Algar, Frontiers of Biogeography The SAGE Handbook of Biogeography is a manual for scoping the past, present and future of biogeography that enable readers to consider, where relevant, how similar biogeographical issues are tackled by researchers in different 'schools'. In line with the concept of all SAGE Handbooks, this is a retrospective and prospective overview of biogeography that will: Consider the main areas of biogeography researched by geographers Detail a global perspective by incorporating the work of different schools of biogeographers Ecplore the divergent evolution of biogeography as a discipline and consider how this diversity can be harnessed Examine the interdisciplinary debates that biogeographers are contributing to within geography and the biological sciences. Aimed at an international audience of research students, academics, researchers and practitioners in biogeography, the text will attract interest from environmental scientists, ecologists, biologists and geographers alike.

Im Rahmen des interdisziplinaren Schwerpunktprogramms aKulturraum Karakorumo (CAK) der Deutschen Forschungesgemeinschaft, das sich die Analyse der Beziehung Mensch-Umwelt-Kultur in den pakistanischen Nordgebieten (Northern Areas) zum Ziel gesetzt hat, fand diese Forschungsreise in den nordpakistanischen Hochgebirgsraum statt. Wahrend der ersten CAK-Projektphase (1989-1991) drangte sich mit der Problematik der Gebirgswaldnutzung und -degradierung in den Northern Areas sehr schnell ein Themenkomplex zur Bearbeitung auf, der samtliche Teilprojekte der an CAK beteiligten Disziplinen beruhrte und der in bezug auf den Wandel von Mensch-Umwelt-Beziehungen in der Region von zentraler Bedeutung zu sein schien. Die Ausfuhrungen zu dieser Problematik basieren auf 12-monatigen Feldstudien, die von 1992 bis 1994 in Nordpakistan durchgefuhrt wurden. Erganzende Forschungsaufenthalte in der India Office Library & Records in London sowie in zahlreichen pakistanischen und deutschen Bibliotheken und Instituten runden die Datenaufnahme ab. "Die Arbeit beeindruckt durch den Umfang des Datenmaterials, das unter schwierigen und nicht ungefahrlichen Bedingungen im Gelande zusammengetragen wurde, minutiose Auswertung der Daten und uberzeugende Verknupfung der waldokologischen und politisch-okologischen Teile dieser Arbeit. Sie beweist, dass die Integration von natur- und sozialwissensschaftlichen Ansatzen, die in der Geographie immer wieder gefordert wird, nicht Lippenbekenntnis bleiben muss, sondern einen gangbaren Weg darstellt." Erdkunde "athe illustration of the forest degradation in North Pakistan by Udo Schickhoff is very impressive. Especially by the interdisciplinary approach the author enlightens the complex cross-linkage and acting mechanisms between the ecological conditions and the socio-economical reasons of the recent destruction of the mountain forests in Pakistan." Phytocoenologia. (Franz Steiner 2002)