This book compiles available knowledge of the response of mountain ecosystems to recent climate and land use change and intends to bridge the gap between science, policy and the community concerned. The chapters present key concepts, major drivers and key processes of mountain response, providing transdisciplinary orientation to mountain studies incorporating experiences of academics, community leaders and policy-makers from developed and less developed countries. The book chapters are arranged in two sections. The first section concerns the response processes of mountain environments to climate change. This section addresses climate change itself (past, current and future changes of temperature and precipitation) and its impacts on the cryosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and human-environment systems. The second section focuses on the response processes of mountain environments to land use/land cover change. The case studies address effects of changing agriculture and pastoralism, forest/water resources management and urbanization processes, landscape management, and biodiversity conservation. The book is designed as an interdisciplinary publication which critically evaluates developments in mountains of the world with contributions from both social and natural sciences.

Construction in the Landscape describes the impact of construction on the land and landscape where it takes place. Geographical coverage is necessarily global to reflect the great variation both in people‘s economic and social needs and in the shortage or abundance of natural resources. Part I introduces both land resources, whether used for agriculture, human settlement or mineral extraction or conserved as scenery, wildlife habitat or for the undefined needs of future generations; and construction, its products, skills, processes and impacts on land resources. Part II describes specific forms of civil engineering - from landform adaptation, through dams and river control works, coastal construction and transport infrastructure to particular types of structure such as bridges, towers and power stations, or the layout of complete settlements. Part III deals with regional planning of construction and land use in different geographical circumstances - from fine scenery, through rural countryside to city and suburban development - and to the sort of land arrangements that may be sustainable for an increased but hopefully more civilized human population a century hence.

According with the Alps and Carpathian Conventions, the European Landscape Convention, and the Birds, and Habitats Directives the research project "Access2Mountain", illustrated in this book, aims to promote the improvement of the accessibility in mountain areas, as a crucial factor for their social, economic and cultural sustainable development, with particular regard for tourism. In the meanwhile, it aims to enlight methods, models and tools for the containment and the reduction of negative impacts of traffic, infrastructures and tourist flows on the environment, landscape and natural-cultural heritage, particularly in the most sensitive areas of South-East Europe. The landscape vision becomes the way to approach the analysis, interpretation and design. It requires a trans-scale dimension, moving from the local level, to the environmental component, the interested context and the model region. The final output is a "system of thinking" for the decision making processes in sensitive mountain landscapes.

This book explores how mountainous landscapes respond to tectonic deformation. It integrates previously unpublished concepts and ideas with recent articles about hills and streams. Readers will learn which landforms change quickly in response to uplift, which parts of the landscape are slowest to adjust to tectonic perturbations, and which landform characteristics are most useful for describing tectonically active and inactive terrains. Study areas include diverse landscapes and tectonic settings: seacoasts, soil-mantled hills, and lofty mountains. The humid Southern Alps of New Zealand change quickly because of rapid uplift and erosion. The semiarid Panamint Range of southeastern California has such miniscule annual stream power that tectonic landforms persist for millions of years. Tectonically Active Landscapes addresses diverse key topics about tectonics and topography. It is essential reading for research geologists and advance-level undergraduate and graduate students in the earth sciences.

Landscapes and Structures is a striking visual tour of Switzerland's public structural landmarks through the personal view of the internationally renowned civil engineer Jürg Conzett. The book is published in conjunction with the Swiss pavilion at the Twelfth International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, which Conzett curated. Civil engineering structures comprise bridges, tunnels, passageways, and other built transport routes; and Conzett and photographer Martin Linsi aimed to showcase examples that demonstrate architectural aspirations and a special relationship to the landscape. The book's twenty chapters highlight such works as the Sittertobelrailway bridge and the Susten mountain pass that contribute to pertinent discussions in design and engineering--including questions of design within the cultural heritage movement, the reciprocal relationship between a townscape and its structures, and the tradition of relying on local materials and craftsmanship. As a whole, the book serves as an insider's tour of how Switzerland's most notable public structures highlight and compliment the landscape.

This book compiles available knowledge of the response of mountain ecosystems to recent climate and land use change and intends to bridge the gap between science, policy and the community concerned. The chapters present key concepts, major drivers and key processes of mountain response, providing transdisciplinary orientation to mountain studies incorporating experiences of academics, community leaders and policy-makers from developed and less developed countries. The book chapters are arranged in two sections. The first section concerns the response processes of mountain environments to climate change. This section addresses climate change itself (past, current and future changes of temperature and precipitation) and its impacts on the cryosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and human-environment systems. The second section focuses on the response processes of mountain environments to land use/land cover change. The case studies address effects of changing agriculture and pastoralism, forest/water resources management and urbanization processes, landscape management, and biodiversity conservation. The book is designed as an interdisciplinary publication which critically evaluates developments in mountains of the world with contributions from both social and natural sciences.