Mountains, though having grandeur, mystery, prominence and even sacredness have not captured public nor political attention as a focus for concern and action. Without an illustrious, persuasive spokesperson, mountains have languished as a discrete topic of major public concern. The constraints to sustainable use of these dynamic, "fragile", three-dimensional earth features have not been recognized. Most mountain development, some of it quite ecologically, culturally and economically catastrophic, has been planned and initiated by "flatlanders" in government of offices, corporate boardrooms and donor offices in major cities of the plains and seacoasts. Within the last four or five years however, there are some indications that the public and the politicians are beginning to be concerned. Their attention has not been commanded by any one "mountain leader," nor by the voices of the many gods and ancestors that dwell in the holy mountains around the world. Rather it has been a gradual dawning of comprehension brought about by the combined efforts of a lot of hard-working scientists and managers. Mountain men and women scholars have almost by tradition and temperament been "loners", but through professional interchange at meetings such as this one, a community of scholars and interested persons has developed.A small but growing number of researchers have began to focus on the mountain as a physical unit for study. A major breakthrough has come in June 1992, at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, with the adoption of Chapter 13 of Agenda 21, under the title "Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development." Some of the important events and actions leading to this landmark action and follow-up are briefly described in what follows. The role played by those dealing with mountain protected areas is highlighted
