Land use, landscape management and environmental services in the mountain mainland Asia: introduction

E Sharma, 'Land use, landscape management and environmental services in the mountain mainland Asia: introduction', Tropical Ecology, pp.129-136, 2007

Mountain ecosystems cover about one-quarter of the earthâ??s surface, and support a diverse range of ecosystems and life-form s. These mountains provide essential environmental services, useful products and also se rve as the worldâ??s water towers. Asian continent comprises a vast complex of mountain rang es around Tibetan Plateau known as the Mountain Mainland Asia (MMA). The MMA extends in th e south by the Himalayan arc, by the Pamir in the west, the Tian Shan in northeast and t he complex of mountain ranges in the east. More than ten major rivers originate from MMA inclu ding the Tarim, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Mekong, Hong (Red River), Yellow River and Yangtze. These river systems provide ecosystem goods and ser vices that sustain the lives and livelihoods of people in Asia both those living in mountains an d plain areas of the basins. This introductory paper discusses on understanding the l and use changes and ecosystem services also considering the transition from the changing m arket economies in the region. Impacts of driving forces especially on conservation and devel opment, and challenges faced by the region are presented. Examples of landscape management app roaches demonstrating the ecosystem services and livelihoods of the mountain peoples ar e illustrated. Lastly, the paper explores the possibilities of payments for ecosystem services es pecially on sustainable land-use management and conservation linked strategies and d evelopment