Indigenous and local traditional agroecological practices that are key to supporting the provision of many mountainous ecosystem services are disrupted by unsustainable practices. The East African tropical mountain ecosystems harbour rich natural resources and host key biodiversity hotspots. These areas are populated with varied human and livestock densities that further exacerbate pressures on land threatening food, water, and livelihood security in the region. This Research Topic welcomes manuscripts aiming to demonstrate how the integration of evidence from natural and social sciences has supported a community-led change in sustainable land management in mountain socio-ecological systems (SES).
Implementation of socially acceptable and environmentally desirable solutions to face SES challenges in areas is hindered by (1) gaps between the evidence bases of different disciplines and; (2) the implementation gaps between science-based recommendations, policymakers and practitioners. Our Research Topic calls for an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to support the co-implementation of land management policy tailored to the needs of specific communities and places in degraded socio-ecological systems in the East African tropical mountains. In Tanzanian mountainous landscapes, environmental and social science evidence shows that some indigenous and local agroforestry practices/systems are proving useful to promoting sustainability in these SES (e.g. Chagga home gardens in Kilimanjaro, Kibanja farming systems in Kagera region, Matengo pits in the Ruvuma region).
We are interested in reviews, perspectives and original research papers that are either inter- or multi-disciplinary in nature with a particular focus on land, water, and people in the tropical mountains. These submissions should integrate community and ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction in mountain systems, which are inherently subject to hazards and increasingly vulnerable to anthropogenic and extreme events. Guided by specialist knowledge from natural and social sciences, we invite manuscripts that are mainly cross-disciplinary. The purpose is to enable practitioners to start designing potential solutions, increasing their sense of efficacy and willingness to change practice. These manuscripts should also provide a valuable conceptual model for other SES challenges in the Global South.
Submissions are welcomed on the following themes and related areas:
- Process concepts and assessment evidence across disciplines for addressing challenges and generating opportunities to the socio-ecological nexus in tropical mountains and their ecosystems.
- Manuscripts focused on tropical mountains, including potential solutions to challenges related to mountain socio-ecological systems and driven by an interdisciplinary evidence-based approach.
- Manuscripts focused on sustainable land management change, analyzing the obstacles to inclusion, conservation, and accessibility in ecosystem services.
Indigenous and local traditional agroecological practices that are key to supporting the provision of many mountainous ecosystem services are disrupted by unsustainable practices. The East African tropical mountain ecosystems harbour rich natural resources and host key biodiversity hotspots. These areas are populated with varied human and livestock densities that further exacerbate pressures on land threatening food, water, and livelihood security in the region. This Research Topic welcomes manuscripts aiming to demonstrate how the integration of evidence from natural and social sciences has supported a community-led change in sustainable land management in mountain socio-ecological systems (SES).
Implementation of socially acceptable and environmentally desirable solutions to face SES challenges in areas is hindered by (1) gaps between the evidence bases of different disciplines and; (2) the implementation gaps between science-based recommendations, policymakers and practitioners. Our Research Topic calls for an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to support the co-implementation of land management policy tailored to the needs of specific communities and places in degraded socio-ecological systems in the East African tropical mountains. In Tanzanian mountainous landscapes, environmental and social science evidence shows that some indigenous and local agroforestry practices/systems are proving useful to promoting sustainability in these SES (e.g. Chagga home gardens in Kilimanjaro, Kibanja farming systems in Kagera region, Matengo pits in the Ruvuma region).
We are interested in reviews, perspectives and original research papers that are either inter- or multi-disciplinary in nature with a particular focus on land, water, and people in the tropical mountains. These submissions should integrate community and ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction in mountain systems, which are inherently subject to hazards and increasingly vulnerable to anthropogenic and extreme events. Guided by specialist knowledge from natural and social sciences, we invite manuscripts that are mainly cross-disciplinary. The purpose is to enable practitioners to start designing potential solutions, increasing their sense of efficacy and willingness to change practice. These manuscripts should also provide a valuable conceptual model for other SES challenges in the Global South.
Submissions are welcomed on the following themes and related areas:
- Process concepts and assessment evidence across disciplines for addressing challenges and generating opportunities to the socio-ecological nexus in tropical mountains and their ecosystems.
- Manuscripts focused on tropical mountains, including potential solutions to challenges related to mountain socio-ecological systems and driven by an interdisciplinary evidence-based approach.
- Manuscripts focused on sustainable land management change, analyzing the obstacles to inclusion, conservation, and accessibility in ecosystem services.
