Mountains and adjacent lowlands are not closed landscape systems; they are linked to each other by diverse natural and human interactions. Geomorphic forces, weather and climate events, hydrographic processes, and also multi-faceted demographic, social, economic, and political regional connections and exchanges have shaped the natural and human environments of mountain systems and their neighbouring regions. Jack Ives has been a pioneer in mountain-lowland research. With his UNU “Highland-Lowland Interactive Systems Project” (1977-1980) the examined the close interrelationships between mountain regions and their neighbouring lowlands, setting a conceptual basis for an integrated regional monitoring and planning.
While Jack Ives had his regional focus on Asian mountains, I was invited to integrate my Andean insights into his research programme. My investigations were focussed on an Andean transect extending from the base of the Chimborazo volcano, following the Patate-Pastaza river valleys to the western edge of the Amazon lowlands. This study revealed the complex ecological, agricultural, and socio-economic interactions between the “tierras altas” and the “tierras bajas”. While the Andean case confirmed many of the findings of Asian mountains and neighbouring plains, it also showed some specific aspects of the Andean environment.