The modernization paradigm, often criticized as oriented only towards economic growth without considering social justice and environmental integrity, is still influencing development, including in mountains. But it is also slowly changing under the influence of postgrowth and transition debates, the ideals of common welfare and wellbeing, and the concept of resilient economies. Under what conditions can this shift within the paradigm take place in mountains, and could sustainable modernization in mountains become a trendsetter What is needed to make modernization lead to sustainable development Sometimes there are synergies between the two goals, but more often trade-offs exist that need to be assessed and wisely dealt with in order to reduce negative impacts. In this Focus Issue, several papers address modernization and sustainable development, showing that development in mountains can take up positive aspects of modernization—for example, improved energy production and use, multilocal livelihoods, combined use and conservation of natural resources, agrotourism, and improved governance—and thus lead to greater sustainability if handled well.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd.3602Altmetric score:
Dimensions Citation Count:
Publication year
2016
Authors
Language
English
Keywords
sustainable development, ecosystems, economic impact, research, mountain areas, migration, soil
