BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

There is a growing recognition of the contribution of the cryosphere to human societies. This is especially important in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), where poverty and vulnerability are high and climate change impacts on the cryosphere are strong. However, there is a lack of synthesized knowledge about the contributions of the cryosphere to high mountain communities. This paper uses a cryosphere service framework-a derivative of the ecosystem service concept-to classify different goods and services provided by the cryosphere. Case studies were selected using an adapted systematic review methodology. These studies were then synthesized and examined through the lens of critical political ecology. The review shows that while the cryosphere provides a whole range of goods and services for mountain communities, not all of these are well documented. Material services like the supply of water for irrigation and agriculture, and disservices such as disasters, are better documented than non-material services like the spirituality of landscapes. The majority of the case studies do not use an interdisciplinary lens. While some studies on irrigation discuss the physical basis and human organization of irrigation, the literature on disasters mostly focuses on the physical processes and at most generalized loss and damage assessments. Further, most case studies do not use the critical epistemologies needed to examine how politics, power, and intersectionality influence societal responses to changes in the cryosphere. The paper suggests that future studies adopt interdisciplinary collaboration to understand human impacts and adaptive responses through critical political ecology frameworks.

Efforts have been made to provide a scientific basis for using environmental services as a conceptual tool to enhance conservation and improve livelihoods in protected mountain areas (MtPAS). Little attention has been paid to participatory research or locals' concerns as environmental service (ES) users and providers. Such perspectives can illuminate the complex interplay between mountain ecosystems, environmental services and the determinants of human well-being. Repeat photography, long used in geographical fieldwork, is new as a qualitative research tool. This study uses a novel application of repeat photography as a diachronic photo-diary to examine local perceptions of change in ES in Sagarmatha National Park. Results show a consensus among locals on adverse changes to ES, particularly protection against natural hazards, such as landslides and floods, in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. We argue that our methodology could complement biophysical ecosystem assessments in MtPAS, especially since assessing ES, and acting on that, requires integrating diverse stakeholders' knowledge, recognizing power imbalances and grappling with complex social-ecological systems.

Observar y monitorear cambios glaciares y riesgos relacionados a glaciares constituye un reto dada la rápida velocidad de los cambios ambientales y sociales en regiones montañosas, tal como en los Andes peruanos, y en particular la Cordillera Blanca, con una historia mortífera de aluviones (flujos por desbordes violentos de lagunas glaciares, o GLOFs por sus siglas en inglés) y por avalanchas de hielo y roca. Es crucial analizar estas condiciones dinámicas no solamente por percepción remota, sino también por estudios de campo e investigaciones glaciológicas en el hielo mismo. Sin embargo, con los relativamente pocos investigadores profesionales y los recursos todavía limitados del gobierno peruano, particularmente de su Instituto Nacional de Investigación en Glaciares y Ecosistemas de Montaña (INAIGEM) y de la Unidad de Glaciología y Recursos Hídricos (UGRH), no siempre es posible monitorear y estudiar en detalle todos los dinámicos ambientes glaciales del país. Examinando las prácticas históricas de actividades que combinaron el montañismo y la glaciología, como el trabajo del Dr. Hans Kinzl en el Perú en las décadas entre 1930 y 1960, y los avances recientes en la ciencia ciudadana, este artículo muestra cómo la combinación del montañismo y la glaciología ha producido información útil acerca de los cambios en glaciares y los peligros relacionados a ellos. Las observaciones e incluso los datos recogidos por la comunidad de montañistas, que incluye escaladores, guías y porteadores, han contribuido a la investigación glaciológica y han diversificado el conocimiento de los glaciares, cuyo resultado final ideal es el aumento y el compartir del conocimiento generado, la ampliación de la conciencia pública, la reducción del riesgo de desastres relacionados con glaciares, y la mejora en el manejo ambiental para ayudar a un amplio rango de grupos interesados.

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