Since 1990 interest in mountains has received an impetus with the establishment of the IUCN Commission on Mountain Protected Areas and the inclusion of Article 13 (Fragile Mountain Environments) of Agenda 21 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Today there is growing awareness at policy, research and activist levels that the well-being of lowland areas is intricately connected to the sustainable conservation of highland regions.
In addition to their rich biodiversity, mountains also contain a diversity of cultures, subsistence types and traditions. This tremendous variety has emerged as an evolutionary response to the niche-specificity of steep mountainous topographies, their inherent isolation and the necessity to skillfully maximize production whilst at the same time minimizing risk and conserving resources.
In recent years there has been a growing recognition that there is much to be learned from the ways that indigenous peoples have traditionally managed their social and natural environments. Local experiences and practices have an important role to play in illuminating some of the central questions driving mountain development and policy regarding self-regulating development strategies. This paper explores the convergence of aspects of mountain cultural diversity with issues of sustainable and equitable development in highland areas, discussing on the myriad ways in which "culture" - as a system of behaviour through which communities interact with and shape their wider physical and social environments—can help to articulate and implement sustainable development programmer, identifying current issues, constraints and opportunities reflected in current approaches.
