Development of mountain areas, particularly in the Himalayan regions of South Asia, is faced with the two major challenges of poverty alleviation and environmental conservation. The very resources that constitute the primary sources of income and livelihood for mountain people are environmentally vulnerable. The overuse and careless exploitation of these resources endanger not only the ecological balance but also threaten sustainability of living standards. Devising and implementing strategies that can meet the twin goals of improved standards of living and conservation of the natural environment have proved elusive. It is, fortunately, now widely recognised that sustained efforts in this direction are urgently needed, as poverty and environmental degradation are found to reinforce each other. This volume consists of the papers and proceedings of an International Conference on Growth, Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Resource Management in Mountain Areas of South Asia organised jointly by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the German Foundation for International Development (DSE) from January 31 February 4, 2000, in Kathmandu. The Conference was an attempt to take stock of the trends and experiences and to contribute towards formulation of appropriate strategies and policies for sustainable development in the mountain areas of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region of South Asia. The volume is organised into five parts. Part I consists of the chapter outlining the issues and strategies in mountain development emerging from the presentations and discussions of the Conference, including a summary of major conclusions and recommendations prepared by the editors. Part II includes papers presenting overviews on development experiences: first, in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, in general, and then in the five countries represented at the Conference. It also includes a paper dealing with the development strategies and experiences in poverty alleviation and sustainable development in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau Region in China. Five papers dealing with economic opportunities and options within and outside agriculture, based on the comparative advantages of mountain areas, are presented in Part III. Part IV has four papers, three examining the issues of land systems and land tenure and one on emerging participatory mechanisms in forest management. The last part consists of three papers on access, equity, and linkages.