Catalyzing Transformations to Sustainability in the World's Mountains

摘要: Mountain social‐ecological systems (MtSES) are vital to humanity, providing ecosystem services over half the planet's human population. Despite their importance, there has been no global assessment of threats MtSES, even as they face unprecedented challenges sustainability. With survey data from 57 MtSES sites worldwide, we test a conceptual model types and scales stressors in explore distinct configurations according primary economic orientation land use. We find that worldwide experiencing both gradual abrupt climatic, economic, governance changes, with policies made by outsiders most ubiquitous challenge. Mountains support primarily subsistence‐oriented livelihoods, especially agropastoral systems, deliver abundant but also at risk. Moreover, transitions subsistence‐ market‐oriented economies often accompanied increased physical connectedness, reduced diversity cross‐scale services, lowered importance local knowledge, shifting vulnerabilities threats. Addressing complex facing catalyzing transformations sustainability will require partnerships among researchers, stakeholders, decision makers jointly identify desired futures adaptation pathways, assess trade‐offs prioritizing share best practices for These transdisciplinary approaches allow practitioners address MtSES knowledge gaps while simultaneously focusing on critical issues poverty food security.