ИСТИНА

Mountain ecosystems are in many respects similar in natural terms; they could have similar sizes of mountain ranges, a set of landscapes zones, climatological vertical gradients, and even to a certain extent - the history of resource development and the impact of modern climate change. Hence, there are many obstacles of a transfer of knowledge from one mountain region in another. In what measure we can transfer results of research, say, between the Appalachians mountains and the Urals, the Andes and the Himalayas, the Alps and the Caucasus? Even similar types of mountain ecosystems can significantly differ according to their dynamics because of different modes of governance (centralized or not centralized, with clear institutions or with combination of formal and non-formal institutions etc.). Nevertheless, due to global climate change, universal recommendations and approaches are being developed that may be suitable for uninhabited nival-glacial ecosystems, but need significant transformation regarding lower-lying more developed areas. The presentation will raise the question of what opportunities and what restrictions exist regarding the transfer of the results of research from one social and ecological system to another in the field of mountain governance. For this purpose, the results of the survey conducted by the MRI in various regions of the world, especially the Caucasus and the Alps, will be used. Many of the basic concepts and terms proposed by the researchers of the Alps have become universal and spread all over the world. The use of alpine terminology and approaches to the study of natural processes is deeply rooted in the Caucasus. However, very little has been done in the context of converging positions on the study of examples of mountain governance. In the context of modern challenges, there is an acute problem of developing and applying of comprehensive integrated policy approaches.