sustainable development

Virtual worlds - Real decisions: Model- and visualization-based tools for landscape planning in Switzerland
Prominent construction projects in Switzerland, such as the Sawiris luxury resort in Andermatt planned by Orascom Hotels & Development, Cairo (Egypt), or the idea of a hotel and apartment tower at Schatzalp, Davos, demonstrate how rapidly Alpine landscapes may undergo major changes. Decisions on whether or not such changes are supported by policymakers should be based on...
Indicator-based strategies for sustainable tourism development: Insights from a Swiss research project
As globalisation advances, Alpine regions, among others, are increasingly seen as competitive entities in Switzerland. Still, tourism development is often criticised as not being sustainable. The questions arise: How can the sustainability of tourism development be monitored? What indicators can be used to identify sustainable development? How can a strategy be developed to...
Implementing sustainable agriculture and rural development in the European Alps: Assets and limitations of local projects based on multi-stakeholder participation
In current scientific and political discourses there is common agreement that the future of Alpine agriculture is a challenge not only for farmers, but also for society at large. What remains unclear is the question of how to adapt agriculture towards sustainable development of the Alpine territory in a manner that takes sufficient account of local diversity. The authors propose to treat...
The Alps. The people: Anthropology of small communities. Demographic movements. Women's condition. Development perspectives
This report is based on a 2003 project called 'Patterns of sustainable development in the remote municipalities of Trentino (Italy)' in which researchers asked 'why are remote villages declining?' Based on demographic research from 1901 to 2001, they selected five socio-economically marginal communities in this geographical area for fieldwork.
Mapping karst rock in southwest China
Monitoring and assessing karst rock resulting from desertification is important to local sustainable development in the karst mountain regions of Southwest China. A new derived index, the Normalized Difference Rock Index (NDRI), is proposed to map karst rock. It takes advantage of the unique spectral response of karst rock and other land cover forms. Supervised maximum likelihood classification...
Policy priorities for sustainable mountain development
This book is a collection of papers given at a workshop organised by ICIMOD in Kathmandu in 2006 with the objective to facilitate a common understanding and vision about mountain policy issues, options and priorities. The ten chapters address a range of topics related to the overarching question of how to combine mountain livelihoods and poverty alleviation with environmentally sound policies.
Bamboo and cane vulnerability and income generation in the rural household subsistence economy of Bjoka, Zhemgang, Bhutan

Little qualitative and quantitative information is available on bamboo and cane ecology and management. Harvesting of these two nonwood forest products (NWFPs) takes place on a substantial scale, exacerbated by commercialisation, thereby exerting pressure on supply with a significant detrimental impact on the species. This article examines the resource availability of bamboo, ...

CONDESAN: An innovative and multi-institutional Andean platform in continuing evolution

CONDESAN (Consortium for the Sustainable Development of the Andean Eco-region) is a 16-year-old consortium that offers an innovative form of organisation and promotes horizontal integration among nongovernmental organisations, universities, national and international research centres, and governmental agencies from the Andean region. They are innovative and horizontal as they are able to...

The hydrology of tropical Andean ecosystems: Importance, knowledge status, and perspectives

This article highlights the economic and ecological value of the water resource systems of Ecuador’s paramo and montane forest region and gives a description, based on a survey of recent literature, of the mechanisms controlling the rainfall–runoff process and how changes in land use alter the transformation. The review reveals that available understanding is partial, the result of...

Energising sustainable development: Concepts and projects

A sustainable energy supply is a precondition for economic and social development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. This became clearer than ever in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg and at the recent session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York. In many parts of the world, a large share of the population have no...

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