Polylepis forests, growing up to 4800 m above sea level in the Peruvian Andes, have been severely decimated by human encroachment in the last centuries, causing declines in ecosystem services In the last 2 decades, restoration projects in Polylepis forests have started to embrace local community needs. However, so far, these restoration projects are patchy, small scale, and poorly documented, hindering scaling and knowledge sharing across the mountain range. Here, we present the restoration procedures, outcomes, and success factors in a model restoration project in Aquia (Ancash, Peru). This project was part of a regional Polylepis corridor restoration project implemented by Instituto de Montaña between 2004–2009. We combined a document analysis of the archive of this nongovernmental organization (NGO) with 12 postproject semistructured interviews held in 2022 (with 10 community members and 2 NGO project managers) to give a long-term view of project outcomes and sustainability. The project restored 16 ha of Polylepis forest and improved 41.6 ha of mountain pastures. It reduced grazing pressure on forests by facilitating the creation of community conservation reserves in existing forests, offering farmers alternative farming livelihoods, and addressing needs highlighted by interviewees (improved livestock breeds, pasture seeds, and tools). A participatory design centered on improving livelihoods and formalizing restoration commitments in local conservation agreements, which allowed for long-term project persistence, ecological implementation, and social uptake. Prior socioecological diagnostic work, such as identifying community needs and designing viable restoration strategies appropriate to the challenging mountain context, made it possible to set up the project sustainably and codesign it in line with the community's needs and ways of living. Lessons learned highlight the need for: (1) formalization of conservation agreements, (2) incorporation of in-depth local knowledge, (3) purposeful participation and collaboration, (4) external agency support, (5) creation of local capacity, (6) monitoring of sustainability outcomes, and (7) development of medium- and long-term plans.

Reforestation efforts that integrate local ecological knowledge (LEK) have demonstrated their potentia to enhance vegetation recovery by leveraging local communities' adaptive understanding of ecosystems. This study evaluates the impacts of a reforestation project that integrated LEK and was implemented in central Nepal between 2010 and 2016. Using satellite-based remote sensing data and propensity score matching, the research isolates the effects of interventions integrating LEK on vegetation recovery, as measured by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The analysis, which uses Sentinel-2 imagery and covariates such as topography, soil characteristics, and past vegetation patterns, reveals statistically significant NDVI improvements in project areas over the study period: 0.0341 in 2018, 0.0670 in 2020, and 0.0737 in 2022. Furthermore, by 2022, the project contributed considerably to achieving medium-high vegetation health, increasing the probability of attaining this vegetation health status by 19.14 percentage points. The improvement in vegetation health suggests that the reforestation project not only has enhanced canopy cover but also is associated with improved soil nutrient availability and increased organic carbon storage. These factors contribute to long-term forest regeneration by facilitating nutrient cycling, stabilizing soil, and promoting sustained vegetation growth. Sensitivity analyses confirm the robustness of these results against potential unobserved confounders, underscoring the reliability of the findings. The integration of local communities' knowledge into species selection may have played a crucial role in these improvements while supporting sustainable forest management practices. These findings add to the growing body of evidence supporting the integration of LEK in reforestation initiatives, offering practical implications for global biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation efforts.

Forests in the Himalayan region are crucial for maintaining the region's ecological balance, conserving biodiversity, and supporting the livelihoods of local people. However, because of limited accessibility and an adverse climate, scientific studies on how forest functions in this region depend on ecological drivers are rare. We used a handheld mobile laser scanner to assess the forest structural complexity (FSC) in the Annapurna Conservation Area of Nepal and related this to its potential drivers, including forest disturbances. Based on stratified sampling, we selected 69 plots across a gradient of elevations and precipitations. Other factors that might influence FSC were obtained from forest inventory data, climatic databases, the Google Earth platform, and digital elevation models. Using simple linear regression and multiple regression analysis, we tested for the dependency of FSC, measured using the box dimension (D_b), on influential predictor variables. Overall, explanatory variables strongly influenced FSC (adjusted R² = 0.60, P < 0.001), with D_b being affected by the number of trees, the maximum height of the forests, species diversity, north-facing aspect, soil pH, and forest disturbance. Surprisingly, climatic variables, precipitation, and temperature did not show any effect on FSC. The LiDAR-based approach to FSC used in our study enabled rapid assessment in hard-to-access regions. It can be used to inform effective management and conservation, for example, in monitoring development over time or for benchmarking.

In many southern Mediterranean mountain areas, the livelihoods of subsistence farmers are threatened by increasing drought periods that affect agroecosystems and cause rapid socioeconomic deterioration. Current initiatives to address this through ecosystem restoration often overlook the cultural significance of different tree species that play an important role in farmers' livelihoods. This may result in the erosion of biocultural diversity and loss of local and Indigenous knowledge. We used the cultural keystone species (CKS) framework to appraise the cultural and livelihood importance of 5 farm tree species—almond, ash, holm oak, olive, and walnut—in Morocco's central High Atlas mountains. Twenty-five structured interviews with knowledgeable farmers revealed that olive trees remain central to local residents' culture. This species met all CKS criteria, whereas walnut and almond trees met many criteria, but they have increasingly lost their cultural importance. Ash and holm oak are prevalent fodder species but do not directly bolster household cash incomes, and they are absent from cultural narratives, ceremonies, and symbolism. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering farm trees' cultural status in developing a culturally sensitive approach to conservation, stewardship of existing trees, and sustainable development in the Mediterranean mountains.

Global Mountain Safeguard Research (GLOMOS), a joint scientific program between the United Nations University (UNU) Institute for Environment and Human Security, Bonn, Germany, and Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy, has concluded the first 5 years of its research in action. GLOMOS represents the only mountain-focused research program within the global system of the UNU. With a focus on risks in mountains, and considering the complex interrelations and interdependences of upland and lowland areas, GLOMOS fosters the development of sustainable and resilient mountain communities. The GLOMOS principle is to involve relevant stakeholders and local actors in its work from the beginning of the design phase of projects, recognizing the integration of Indigenous and local knowledge systems as a foundation for risk reduction and the enhancement of climate change adaptation. This article summarizes GLOMOS's scientific foci and approaches, which have recently been revised and updated based on experience gained from the initial phase. Selected results from the first 5-year phase of the program are also presented. Finally, GLOMOS invites interested scientific initiatives and research entities to cooperate with the program to jointly conduct cutting-edge research and bridge science, policy, and practice for safe and sustainable mountain livelihoods worldwide.

Worldwide, high-elevation and high-latitude systems are experiencing the effects of global change faster than elsewhere, but there are limited data on the rate and impact of this change in Malagasy mountains. Reaching 2876 m, these mountains are some of the least-studied areas on the island of Madagascar. The Malagasy Mountain Programme aims to attract greater national and international interest in Malagasy mountains as social-ecological systems and is designed as a net for cooperative research, practitioner interventions, and policy impacts. As a small start, the Programme is a collaborative partnership between the Afromontane Research Unit (University of the Free State, South Africa), Association Vahatra (Madagascar), and the University of Antananarivo (Departments of Plant Biology & Ecology and Zoology & Animal Biodiversity, Madagascar). Additional partnerships are being developed, and more are welcomed.