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Environments
Special Issues
Mountains in the Changing World
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Mountains in the Changing World

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2016) | Viewed by 18004

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Uttam Babu Shrestha

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Guest Editor
Institute for Agriculture and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia
Interests: climate change; biodiversity conservation; ecosystem services
Dr. Binod Pokharel

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Guest Editor
Department of Atmospheric Science, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
Interests: cloud and precipitation; mountain weather and climate; mountain hydrology; weather modification; climate change
Dr. Achyut Aryal

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Guest Editor
Charles Perkins Centre,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Interests: wildlife biology; biodiversity conservation; protected area management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Basanta Raj Adhikari

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Guest Editor
Deputy Director, Center for Disaster Studies, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal
Interests: landslides; flood; earthquake; disaster risk management; climate change; surface dynamics in the himalayas
Dr. Loknath Adhikari

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Guest Editor
Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Texas A&M Univesity-Corpus Christi, TX, USA
Interests: atmospheric science; glaciers; hydrology
Dr. Suman Aryal

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Guest Editor
Institute for Agriculture and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia
Interests: transhumance; rangeland; ecology; climate change; socio-ecological systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mountains around the world are the home of millions of people, the source of freshwater and other ecosystem services, as well as the repository of an incredible biodiversity. In recent decades, mountains have been experiencing unprecedented changes due to climate change, land use change, migration, and developmental activities. In this context, an international conference on ‘Mountains in the Changing World’ is organized that aims at providing a forum for scholars, researchers, policymakers, and students to share their research, knowledge and ideas about various issues of mountains. The conference will be held in 1–2 October, 2016, in Kathmandu, Nepal.

This Special Issue of Environments will publish selected full papers presented at the conference, as well as other submitted papers related to the various issues of mountains. Authors interested in submitting their manuscript for this Special Issue should email to Guest Editor, Uttam Babu Shrestha ([email protected]). We will consider manuscripts on the following issues:

  • Disasters, resilience, and adaptation
  • Biodiversity conservation
  • Climate change
  • Environmental pollution
  • Forest management
  • Soil, water, and atmospheric research
  • Agriculture and agroecology
  • Sustainable livelihood
  • Policy for mountain resources and livelihood
  • Socio-ecological systems

Dr. Uttam Babu Shrestha
Dr. Binod Pokharel
Dr. Achyut Aryal
Dr. Basanta Raj Adhikari
Dr. Loknath Adhikari
Dr. Suman Aryal
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Environments is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Mountains
  • Mountain biodiversity
  • Mountain livelihoods
  • Climate change
  • Mountain people
  • Mountain Agriculture
  • Mountain forest
  • Mountain Atmosphere
  • Snow, Glacier and Water Resources
  • Mountain Hydrology

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

770 KiB  
Article
Linking Soil Properties to Climate Change Mitigation and Food Security in Nepal
by Him L. Shrestha, Trishna S. Bhandari, Bhaskar S. Karky and Rajan Kotru
Environments 2017, 4(2), 29; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/environments4020029 - 02 Apr 2017
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 8364
Abstract
Crop productivity is directly dependent on soil fertility. High organic carbon content in soil is vital as it leads to improved soil quality, increased productivity, and stable soil aggregates. In addition, with the signing of the climate agreement, there is growing interest in [...] Read more.
Crop productivity is directly dependent on soil fertility. High organic carbon content in soil is vital as it leads to improved soil quality, increased productivity, and stable soil aggregates. In addition, with the signing of the climate agreement, there is growing interest in carbon sequestration in landscapes. This paper looks at how soil organic carbon (SOC) can be increased so that it contributes not only to the reduction of atmospheric CO2, but also translates to the increased food production, thereby enhancing food security. This synergy between climate change mitigation and enhancing food security is even more relevant for mountain landscapes of the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region where there remains huge potential to increase CO2 sequestration and simultaneously address food security in the chronic food deficit villages. Soil samples were collected from seven transects each in Bajhang and Mustang and from four land use types in each transect. Samples of soils were taken from two depths in each plot: 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm below the soil surface to compare the top soil and subsoil dynamics of the soil nutrients. The lab analysis was performed to assess the soil texture, soil acidity in “power of hydrogen” (pH), and macro-nutrients reflecting soil fertility. Secondary data was used to analyze the level of food deficit in the villages. The pH value of soil from Bajhang ranged from 5.3 to 9.1. The pH value of soil ranged from 5.7 to 8.8 in Mustang. SOC contents of sampled soils from Bajhang ranged from 0.20% to 7.69% with a mean amount of 2.47% ± 0.17%. SOC contents of sampled soils from Mustang ranged from 0.51% to 8.56% with a mean amount of 2.60% ± 0.25%. By land use type, forest land had the highest carbon (C) content of 53.61 t·ha−1 in Bajhang, whereas in Mustang, agricultural land had the highest C content of 52.02 tons·ha−1. Based on these data, we can say that there is potential for increasing SOC through improved soil health and crop production holistic soil management should be practiced for higher productivity, and incorporating livestock for farmyard manure would fertilize cultivated soils, which increases soil productivity. Increasing productivity would aid in enhancing the access and availability of food in these mountain villages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mountains in the Changing World)
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2042 KiB  
Article
Illegal Hunting of Prey Species in the Northern Section of Bardia National Park, Nepal: Implications for Carnivore Conservation
by Babu Ram Bhattarai, Wendy Wright and Ambika Pd. Khatiwada
Environments 2016, 3(4), 32; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/environments3040032 - 29 Nov 2016
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 9099
Abstract
We interviewed 48 people from communities around Bardia National Park in Nepal, including ex-hunters and protected area management professionals. The purpose of the interviews was to understand the motivations for, and the nature of, illegal hunting of prey species of iconic predators—tigers and [...] Read more.
We interviewed 48 people from communities around Bardia National Park in Nepal, including ex-hunters and protected area management professionals. The purpose of the interviews was to understand the motivations for, and the nature of, illegal hunting of prey species of iconic predators—tigers and leopards—in the northern section of the park. Participants reported that hunting of prey species occurs mostly in spring and autumn and is less common during the summer. In the past, hunting was primarily for the purposes of obtaining meat for household consumption. Since the introduction of a road network in the region, opportunities to sell wild meat at ad hoc “highway markets” have developed. The purported medicinal properties of wild meat was also cited as a driver for illegal hunting. Guns (mostly made locally, by hand) and dogs were reported to be commonly used. Protected area managers indicated that illegal hunting problems in the study area are associated with a lack of presence of park authorities, remoteness and underdevelopment and poverty of the community. Our study suggested that skills development training for local community members might reduce dependency of local people on wild meat, for both household consumption and for income, thereby reducing illegal hunting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mountains in the Changing World)
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