Collaborations and partnerships in Highland3

Highland regions, incorporating plateaus, alpine systems, mesas, and similar landscapes, are home to vital ecosystems and provide numerous goods and services for local communities and stakeholders. However, these areas often lack evidence-based models and tools applicable for sustainable local development, and such data is vitality needed to inform both sustainable development as well as associated research activities. Here we explore collective and impact-driven research and communication on a variety of activities, local livelihoods, tourism, and environmental responses in the mountains, using mixed methods based in qualitative and quantitative research approaches. We will review lessons learned from communities and research teams working towards sustainable livelihoods in highlands and explore overarching and transferable ideas through co-created visions of inclusive and sustainable development in the highlands that can be communicated to a range of stakeholders. For example, inclusive and ethical research approaches incorporate choices made regarding what, where and how to conduct research on different livelihoods in mountains from tourism to sustainable agriculture and such choices have significant impact on the types and quality of evidence available, as well as the experiences of the subjects (local residents for example) of that research. All of this has implications for what conclusions are derived and the ethical considerations for researchers and stakeholders, including mitigating risks from the data collection itself, to promote inclusive and sustainable approaches to mountain research.