Mountain Lexicon: A Corpus of Montology and Innovation

This book is the second volume in a series on montology dedicated to the transdisciplinary reflection of mountain research, considering the diversity of views on mountains and their problemata in the context of rapid technological development and unprecedented accumulation and dissemination of information around the world. The necessity for a new orderly and structured lexicon arose from the need to critically reassess the colonial past in the development of mountain territories, the development of a new and alternative understanding of mountain topics in the light of decolonized epistemology. The creation of coordinated and ordered terms for the main parts of mountain research creates the basis for an unorthodox understanding of the ontology of mountains and helps to better understand the complex cultural and natural essence of mountain socio-ecological systems. At the same time, a local episteme of mountains, considering local values, small scales, and vernacular visions are of particular importance, which must be taken into account in the current terminology.

The purpose of the book is to provide methodological support for montology as a convergent and transdisciplinary science of mountains, based on the harmonization of its terminological base. The book pays special attention to onomastics, toponymy, standardization and other nuances of terms used in mountain research. According to this goal, three dozen articles in a relatively small format (about 3 pages) vividly, attractively and innovatively reflect the modern view of one or more related terms. Articles include definition(s) of the term, description of etymology, onomastics or toponymy used, examples of local characteristics compared to traditional sources, possible vernacular terms. Articles are grouped into four main areas: 1) Basic glossary of montology terminology, 2) Towards mountain socio-ecological systems, 3) Innovative disciplinary systemic realm, 4) Mountain classifications, onomastics, critical toponomy and rediscovery of meaning.

The authors of the articles are leading experts in the field of mountain research from around the world. The book is intended for scientists, experts and teachers. It is provided with an annotated list of the most important montology terms.

Prof. Dr. Fausto O. Sarmiento directs the Neotropical Montology Collaboratory at the Department of Geography of the University of Georgia. His research straddles critical biogeography and landscape ecology of mountains for biocultural diversity conservation. He was Regional Editor for Latin America for the journal Mountain Research and Development, and is Editorial Board member of Pirineos, the Journal of Mountain Ecology, the Journal of Mountain Science, the Journal of High Andean Research and the Annals of the AAG. He serves in advisory boards of global mountain organizations and represented the International Human Dimension Program of Global Environmental Change to the Science Board of the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI). He was chair of the Mountain Geography Specialty Group (2002-3 and 2014-5) of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), is chair of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on Mountain Studies (IGU), and former president of the Andean Mountains Association (AMA). Currently, he is deputy Vice Chair (Capacity Building) of the Mountain Biome of the World Commission of Protected Areas (WCPA), member of the Board of the Satoyama Initiative of the United Nations University (UNU), member of the board of the Earth Ethics Institute (EEI) and member of the Protected Landscapes Task Force in the World Conservation Union (IUCN).

Prof. Dr. Alexey Gunya runs the center of mountain research at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences. His research lies in the field of geography of mountain regions, interaction between development and conflicts, and landscape dynamic. He has strong regional expertise in the Caucasus and Central Asia. He is the head of the Mountain Group MAB-6 /Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, the Vice Chair of the International Geographical Union’s Commission on Mountain Studies (IGU), member of the Science Leadership Council of the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) (2016-2019), continues to serve as a member of the MRI Mountain Governance Working Group, member of the Science and Knowledge Advisory Committee of the Mountain Partnership. He was Editor for the journal Sustainable Development of Mountain Territories (2014-2022) and is Editorial Board member of the Journal of Mountain Science.