Sustainable management of natural resources in African and Asian mountains

African and Asian mountains and highlands are ecoregions of particular impo rtance for sustainable development due to their intensive land-use systems, their generally low economic productivity and integration, and the increas ing rates of land degradation and mountain hazards. Opportunities for susta inable development exist, if ways to overcome land degradation can be found . The percentage of people who are engaged in subsistence agriculture can b e reduced in favor of the secondary and tertiary sectors, protected areas c an be better managed, access to remote areas improved, mountain waters util ized in a more integrated highland-lowland interaction, and mechanisms to m anage conflicts developed. Research in support of sustainable development n eeds to focus on transdisciplinary approaches in order to develop appropria te technologies, improve land-management systems, and most importantly, cre ate an enabling institutional environment. international cooperation is an essential tool for exchanging and communicating successful experiences from the local level to regional levels.