Mountain Forests: Challenges and Management

Abstract

Mountain forests are important for their production and protection values. They serve as a home of important timber, wood, and non-wood products in several countries and most importantly they serve in storing water and preventing erosion. They are also hotspots of biodiversity including common indigenous species used for different purposes in society categorized as timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Many mountain forests are playing the role of carbon sinks to mitigate climate change. However, most of the world's mountain communities are strongly influenced by surrounding lowland and urban areas with regard to timber extraction, and expansion of agricultural land to the fertile soils of the forest ecosystem with the addition of forest fire incidences. In a changing climate, human-induced disturbances and lack of awareness are the major threats to mountain ecosystems. For the sustainability of the ecosystem, maintenance and new approaches for the management with special attention and proper actions should be taken to save and maintain the productive, protective, socio-cultural roles of mountain forests which are essential for maximum stability and integrity for the sustainability of the mountain forest ecosystems.