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This is a glossy, attractive and wellillustrated book that highlights recent developments in collaborative interdisciplinary mountain research in Austria through a selection of short papers covering a wide range of topics. It is clearly designed to showcase 3 recently established mountain research programs in Austria and to inform both the scientific and general publics about their activities. The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) has been involved in mountain research programs over a long period and, in 2006, established the Research Unit of Mountain Research: Man and Environment (IGF) in Innsbruck, which was upgraded to an Institute in 2009. One key initiative of IGF, in conjunction with the University of Vienna, is coordinating the research network GLORIA (Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments) led by Georg Grabherr. In 2009, the University of Innsbruck established a research focus on Alpine Space— Man and Environment. Shortly afterwards, the alpS: Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Technologies was also created in Innsbruck, funded by a national program that integrates scientific and business interests. This book presents 26 short papers by members of these 3 new organizations that outline their goals, demonstrate the scope and range of their activities, and present some of the research tools they have developed. The book is divided into 6 thematic sections, each containing several short papers, generally 4–8 pages long. The introductory section, ‘‘Mountain Research in Austria,’’ begins with examples from, and a summary of, ÖAW’s long involvement in major international science programs (the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Man and the Biosphere Programme, the International Geosphere–Biosphere Programme, the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change, etc) followed by papers on the activities of the Alpine Space—Man and Environment research focus and the alpS Centre. These brief essays describe the history and organizational goals of each group and, in some cases, a summary of their projects and publications. The main body of the book is the 4 sections devoted to essays grouped around broad themes that outline selected research activities undertaken by these groups. Section 2, ‘‘Global Change,’’ presents 6 studies that deal with physical and biological systems and approaches to their study. These studies address topics including: the problems of downscaling global climate models for studies in mountain regions and uncertainties in projected future climate scenarios; an application of laser imagery to a rock glacier and permafrost inventory in the Tyrol Mountains of Austria; and an overview of the concept, organization, and methods of the GLORIA project and a description and analysis of results from the pioneer GLORIA site at Mount Schrankogel in the Tyrol. The 2 final papers discuss soils as archives of environmental history and the processes and possible causes of shallow erosional landslides in the soils of alpine meadows. Section 3, ‘‘Living in the Mountains—Living with Risks,’’ contains an overview by Johann Stötter and Matthias Monreal of risks related to natural hazards and to global climate change, particularly changes associated with glacier loss and hydrological changes. This section also includes a brief discussion of the extreme summer of 2003, as an analog for future changes, and a discussion of conceptual frameworks and attitudes toward risk and risk research. This paper is followed by an analysis of economic resilience, vulnerability, and the costs of emergency management based on a case study of the 2005 floods in Tyrol and Voralberg. The paper notes that cleanup costs and protection are undervalued and underresourced, making an important distinction between the obvious direct costs of these extreme events and the indirect costs (eg on production, transportation links, disruption of services, and loss of business earnings) in assessing the economic impacts of these events. The final, totally different, essay briefly reviews the vulnerability of large urban centers in the Andes to extreme natural phenomena (earthquakes, floods, droughts, etc) and the ‘‘urban contamination’’ (through pollution, waste, urban sprawl, etc) of the environment. It discusses some differences between these cities in history and social conditions and points out the need for resource allocation to address and manage potential hazards and to reduce inequality and degradation. Section 4, ‘‘Challenges for the Future,’’ is an eclectic collection of 4 studies on social and cultural topics. Manfred Perlik looks at the growth of a peri-urban area in the Alps—that is, the increasing penetration of lowland urban dwellers into adjacent rural or mountain environments through second homes, dormitory settlements, etc. These present a significant threat to previous rural lifestyles (and communities) and a ‘‘double use’’ of space by urbanites who occupy the most attractive areas as commuters or for holiday homes, decreasing previous economic activities in these landscapes. Oliver Bender discusses the possibilities and problems of preserving a viable, working cultural landscape by using local agricultural production to develop niche food markets that can attract tourists or day visitors from MountainMedia Mountain Research and Development (MRD) An international, peer-reviewed open access journal published by the International Mountain Society (IMS) www.mrd-journal.org

Challenges for Mountain Regions—Tackling Complexity