International Mountain Society

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International Mountain Society
Founded1980 (1980)
FoundersJack D. Ives, Roger Barry, Mischa Plam, Walther Manshard
Founded atBoulder, Colorado, USA
TypeInternational organization
FocusSustainable mountain development
HeadquartersBern, Switzerland
Area served
Worldwide
Websitewww.mrd-journal.org/ims.asp

The International Mountain Society (IMS) is a scientific research society focusing on the dissemination of information about

Bern, Switzerland.[2]
Membership in the IMS, which includes subscription to MRD, is available to individuals and to organizations.[2]

Aims

The mission statement of both the IMS and its journal, Mountain Research and Development, is "to strive for a better balance between mountain environment, development of resources and the well-being of mountain peoples."[3] The practical purpose of the IMS was to provide a vehicle for collaboration with United Nations University in the publication of a new mountain research and applied study journal.[4] The intent was to build on the expanding commitments of a number of international institutions that were beginning to respond to the perceived widespread problems facing the mountains and mountain peoples of the world.[5]

History

The International Mountain Society grew out of multidisciplinary collaborations of participants in the

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).[6] The intellectual underpinnings included the Biosphere Reserve concept that was applied by UNESCO in promoting research, training, and genepool conservation in designated areas, as well as the UNU's approach to mountain research that emphasized the importance of highland-lowland interactive systems.[5]

The specific impetus for the founding of the IMS stemmed from 1974 conference on the Development of Mountain Environment that was convened by the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) in Munich. Participants, including John Cool, Frank Davidson, Klaus Lampe, A.D.Moddie, Joseph Stein, B.B. Vohra, and

Jack D. Ives
, concluded that there was a need for an organization linking mountain researchers and institutions and also for a journal focused on mountain research. These points came up again in a 1976 workshop convened in Cambridge, Massachusetts. At the time of incorporation in Boulder, Colorado, the officers of IMF were:

Achievements

The primary product of the International Mountain Society is the quarterly peer-reviewed journal Mountain Research and Development. The editorial policies emphasize the need for accelerated interdisciplinary international research, both pure and applied. The membership of the founding editorial and advisory boards was international, representing sixteen nations, and special attention was paid to facilitating publication in English of manuscripts submitted in any language. MRD was edited by Jack Ives and Pauline Ives, and Jack Ives also served as President of the IMS until 2000, when both the journal and the organization were transferred to Bern University, Switzerland, with Hans Hürni assuming responsibility.[7] MRD has been able to ensure worldwide publication of a wide range of mountain research results. Serving as a linkage between many international institutions, universities, and NGOs, in collaboration with

International Mountain Day.[8][9]

References

  1. ISBN 0-262-07128-2
    – via Internet Archive. International Mountain Society.
  2. ^ a b "International Mountain Society". Mountain Research and Development. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  3. ^ "Organizational Information", Mountain Research and Development, vol. 1, no. 1, p. inside cover, May 1981
  4. JSTOR 3672941
  5. ^
    JSTOR 3672942
  6. JSTOR 3672942
  7. JSTOR 25164042
  8. ISBN 978-9937261951
    .
  9. S2CID 221312677
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