Thematic Focus

Climate change is an ongoing global phenomenon. The topography of mountain regions means that the processes and impacts of climate change are typically more complex in these regions than in the lowlands, and therefore more challenging to understand and predict. At the same time, mountain systems affected by climate change also provide many services, not only to local residents but also to people living in the lowlands. In total, around one quarter of the Earth's population lives in the mountains and their forelands.

In light of this, the IMC 2019 will focus on

• The investigation of processes and the detection of changes in climate and other factors more or less influenced by climate (e.g., social, environmental, or infrastructural changes)
• The consequences of the changes with respect to the vulnerabilities of socio-ecological systems
• Strategies for adaptation and transformation

Goals & Output

The immediate goals of the conference are

• To stimulate cross-disciplinary exchange on mountain research questions.
• To initiate or foster collaboration between different disciplines worldwide.
• To publish summaries of all workshops that are the basis for generating further products (see points below).

The goals beyond the conference are

• To develop and publish review and/or assessment papers on different research questions concerning mountain systems. Workshop summaries and contacts should serve as helpful starting points. 
• To develop and follow a strategy toward a report on the current state of mountains as social-ecological systems.