Lesser-known Mountains

Details

Full Title
WS 3.102: Lesser Known Mountains (and their Hidden Aspects) under the Impact of Global Changes
Scheduled
TBA
Location
TBA
Convener
Fausto Sarmiento
Co-Conveners
Neslihan Dal,
Assigned to Synthesis Workshop
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Thematic Focus
Adaptation, Conservation, Socio-Ecology
Keywords
Lesser-known mountains, Transformation, Socioecological system, Adaptation to change, local knowledge

Description

Under global change, cumulative impacts are driving transformations in lesser-known mountains, pushing outmigrants towards lowland cityscapes. Under these impacts, limitations of sustainable policies increase the vulnerability of mountain communities. The responses of mountainous areas to environmental transformation are controlled by local conditions, with the heterogeneity of each mountainscape presenting many conservation opportunities and challenges. In this session we emphasize the importance of local geocritical knowledge in understanding global presses and pulses on mountains. We focus on lesser-known mountains to understand various dimensions of global change in areas that do not receive much attention from the media, but are key for the mountain communities therein. This session encourages interdisciplinary studies, as the complex, multilayered, political ecology of mountain landscapes needs to be addressed together with all the interconnections and implications. We ask: how different knowledges from lesser-known mountainous areas, derived from responses to global changes, can inform adaptive strategies that contribute to solving global problems on a larger scale? Through case studies, we explore the interplay between the forgotten slopes and hidden aspects of these out-of-mind mountains, whether marine, coastal, flanks, montane, hanging valleys, and other less-understood mountainscapes, and their contribution to addressing global challenges. We therefore emphasize the need to see shifts and trends in lesser-known mountains.

Submitted Abstracts

ID: 3.11334

The Andean-Amazon flanks of the upper Napo river watershed

Fausto Sarmiento
Bush, Mark B

Abstract/Description

The lesser known tropical montane areas of the Andean-Amazon flanks are presented here from the perspective of their biogeographical importance in both paleoecology and the current biocultural heritage. Famous for being the scenario of the European ‘discovery’ of the Amazon river by the Francisco de Orellana expedition, the tropandean flanks are lesser known because of the hidden human impact has been rediscovery with the decolonial scholarship applied to the notion of garden-jungle instead of the pristine virgin forest. In addition, the new narrative of ecological legacy as responsible factor of the current status of the tropandean mountains is analyzed from the perspective of the indigenous knowledge and the false imagery presented to tourists. I will communicate the “Kuka’ Umawa Declaration” as an attempt of recent findings from ethnoecological research on the importance of bridging science and community development using ethnotourism as the tool of collaborative efforts for sustainable, regenerative development of the lower mountains of the Andean flanks

ID: 3.12673

From Rocks to Communities: A Montological Approach to Gneiss Landscapes and River Basin Dynamics in SW Anatolia.

Neslihan Dal

Abstract/Description

This study focuses on the area encompassing the river basins surrounded by the Aydın and Menteşe Mountains in the Southwestern Anatolia region of Türkiye. This mountainous area represents an important but under-explored geoheritage and biocultural heritage area. This region, which has hosted diverse human communities since antiquity, offers a compelling case study of the dynamic interplay between natural processes and human activities.The region’s complex tectonic history, shaped by successive orogenic phases, has profoundly influenced the formation of its natural resources and the socio-ecological adaptations of its inhabitants. Geomorphologically, the area is characterized by mountainous terrains, erosion surfaces, and plains, with the distinctive Tor topography playing a pivotal role in shaping local climatic, vegetative, and hydrological patterns. The economic structure of the region is deeply intertwined with its geographical and ecological features, with activities such as agriculture, livestock, forestry, mining, tourism, and handicrafts forming the backbone of local livelihoods. These practices not only sustain the local population but also contribute to the sustainable development of the region, reflecting a harmonious integration of human activities with the natural environment. This study adopts a montological framework to investigate how the region’s geography and climate have influenced the relationship between nature and human societies. Through a combination of geospatial analysis, field studies, and participatory research, we have developed detailed base maps to assess land use characteristics and document changes over time. Our findings highlight the intricate connections between the region’s physical geography, biocultural heritage, and socio-economic practices, offering valuable insights into the sustainable management of mountainous landscapes. The results of this study aim to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on montology while providing an example for future conservation and development initiatives in Southwestern Anatolia and similar regions worldwide.

ID: 3.13638

Hills and mountain ranges in Mexico Basin, an opportunity to conservation.

Pere Sunyer

Abstract/Description

Located at an altitude of over 2,000 meters, the Mexico basin is home to one of the World most populated metropolitan areas, with more than 20 million inhabitants. It is surrounded by mountain systems that exceed 3,000 meters above sea level and crossed by isolated hills and small mountain ranges of more than 2,500 m that are small islands of biodiversity and nature in an urban sea. Unknown and ignore by its inhabitants they suffer constant mistreatment. Nevertheless, they continue to contribute to improving the conditions and quality of life in the basin. They still are reservoirs of environmental, physical and biogeographic characteristics, they significantly improve air quality and are historical and cultural references for the people who inhabited the basin. These unknown hills and mountain ranges also deserve attention from mountain studies and that is what we are trying to do from the Autonomous Metropolitan University in Mexico.

WS 3.101: Synthesizing knowledge about alpine-treeline ecotones in changing mountains

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#IMC: September 14 - 18 2025

WS 3.102

Lesser-known Mountains

Details

Full Title

Scheduled

Location

Convener

Co-Conveners

Assigned to Synthesis Workshop

Thematic Focus

Keywords

Description

Submitted Abstracts

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

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