Chapter 20 - Advancing Transformative Knowledge for Sustainable Mountain Development: How Can a Scientific Journal Bring Knowledge into Policy and Practice?

Scientific knowledge is needed to shape transformative pathways toward sustainable development in mountains. During the past four decades, the journal Mountain Research and Development (MRD) has contributed significantly to increasing the global knowledge base on mountain social-ecological systems, publishing evidence-informed agendas for research and policy, and sharing validated sustainable development approaches and experiences from different mountain regions worldwide. In this chapter, we present "MRD+," MRD's new strategy that aims at further increasing the journal's societal impact. MRD+ focuses on three areas of activity: (1) strengthening the journal's knowledge base by including formats more relevant and accessible to practitioners; (2) expanding its outreach and communication activities to enable dialogue and learning among stakeholders in mountains; and (3) setting up a program for development of scientific communication capacities targeting researchers and professionals from countries with less access to such skills. MRD plans to implement this strategy through strong engagement with individuals, organizations, and networks within and beyond the mountain research and development community.