The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), and the proposal for an International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists to be celebrated in 2026 all emphasize the importance of pastoral systems and the need to find knowledge-based solutions to tackle increasing degradation and poverty in these systems. For this purpose, the science community, governments, and policymakers should be aware of the historical and present interactions of social and ecological components of pastoral systems in mountain areas, as well as their interlinkages with other regions (eg supply of and demand for ecosystem services and mountain products). They should also better understand the drivers of change in mountain pastoral social–ecological systems—especially climate change—as well as the interactions among drivers and their impacts. Equally relevant are pressure–response dynamics, particularly at the community level, including innovative adaptive measures.
With this issue focused on pastoralism, Mountain Research and Development aims to contribute to a better understanding of pastoralism and rangelands in mountains, the factors affecting pastoral social–ecological systems, responses from society, and how innovative solutions can effectively help respond to environmental, socioeconomic, and political changes. This call invites empirical and conceptual papers, both case studies and syntheses, on a wide range of subjects and scales related to pastoralism and rangelands in mountains and high-elevation landscapes. We welcome transdisciplinary and multidisciplinary contributions that address the transformation processes affecting pastoralists and rangelands, their interactions with other systems, and the answers local communities, policymakers, and scientists can provide.
The issue is scheduled for publication in November 2021. Papers must be sent by 15 February 2021 using MRD’s online submission platform. You can also send a short notice of intent to mrd-journal@cde.unibe.ch, as the team can provide advice if needed or requested. More information in the call for papers.
30 October 2020
