La utilización de los estudios de montaña requiere de narrativas integradoras para la geoalfabetización sobre paisajes socioecológicos productivos y motiva más investigaciones transdisciplinares en el campo de la montología. Concebimos este artículo como la confluencia de la experiencia individual y el razonamiento colectivo hacia la formación de grupos de investigación sinérgicos que se ocupan de la ciencia de montaña convergente, para hacer avanzar la montología a un nuevo nivel, mediante el cual el pensamiento innovador sobre la ciencia de la sustentabilidad y el desarrollo regenerativo incorpora propuestas alternativas para el mantenimiento, la mejora, o regeneración de las condiciones de vida de los paisajes de montaña. Buscamos utilizar este marco contemporáneo de sustentabilidad y restauración ecológica como el ímpetu para comprender mejor las relaciones de la naturaleza y la cultura, desde una perspectiva transdisciplinar, en montañas habitadas que operan en cuatro dimensiones (largo, ancho, alto y tiempo). El artículo está orientado a potenciar la transversalidad de temáticas en torno a las montañas como sistemas socioecológicos productivos, en una nueva disciplina académica institucionalizada y convergente. Concluimos con un llamado a un desarrollo regenerativo, sustentable y consiliente en las montañas del mundo.

Forest ecosystems have been impacted by human activity over several millennia in a variety of ways. Previous land use activity has not only changed the ratio of various terrestrial ecosystems, but also influenced the distribution of tree species. The insight into the forest species composition, dynamics and revealing how it differs from the modern one should be of decisive importance for the identification and conservation of the most valuable forests, as well as the restoration of ones previously disturbed. The density and distribution of some species continues to decline rapidly due to the anthropogenic activity. This problem is most urgent in boreal forests, formed by a limited set of tree species. Studies of the long-lived tree species dynamics and their ability to restore after various types of disturbances deserve special attention. Based on analysis of forest management materials from 1938 and 2023, this paper was aimed to analyse the dynamics of forests with the participation of Pinus sibirica in the Northern Pre-Urals (Permsky Krai, Russia), on the western border of the species' natural range. In 1938, the forests with Pinus sibirica occupied 16.6% of all forests in the research area. In 1938, most forests with Pinus sibirica (64%) were forests, in which P. sibirica was represented by only 1–5% of the stock. Pinus sibirica-dominated forests were almost absent, with only one site with 60% dominance of P. sibirica, and five sites with 40% dominance of P. sibirica. Over the next 85 years, the area of forests with Pinus sibirica participation in the research area has decreased by 2.5 times due to the impact of clear cuttings and forest fires. By 2023, the ratio of forest areas with various proportions of Pinus sibirica participation had changed considerably. The highest changes were found in forests with Pinus sibirica participation of 1%, 5% and 20% of the stock. Analysis of the typological structure of forests showed that at present Pinus sibirica has survived only in natural dark-coniferous forests, which have not been affected previously by forestry activities and fires. Due to the exceptionally slow regeneration following fires and logging activities, Pinus sibirica is absent in the forests formed over the studied period. The current federal legal restrictions prove ineffective as they target the preservation of forest stands containing over 30% of Pinus sibirica, while the majority of forests in the study area contain less proportion of this species. We believe that it is necessary to develop uniform measures to preserve existing and restore the lost Pinus sibirica populations in the Komi Republic and the Permsky Krai, including the prohibitions on the logging of forests with any proportion of Pinus sibirica as well as the creation of P. sibirica forest plantations.

The land reforms of the 1990s in the former Soviet republics led to the elimination of the state’s monopoly on the ownership of land, a revival in local communities and a rise in business activity. The consequences of these reforms include the almost total disappearance of collective farms and the emergence of the private ownership of land. In the 1990s, the state delegated political power, including the disposability of land, to local authorities. However, these changes in political power varied significantly from region to region. This article aims to explain the various institutional environments that have developed at the local level in reaction to land reforms. Our investigation of 18 key villages in the North Caucasus republics of Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria, North Ossetia, Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan show that land reforms have galvanised multiple actors representing the state, as well as collectives, individuals and various formal and informal institutions that regulate relations between these actors. Along with the political factors – such as the level of centralisation and economic liberalisation – that have led to differences in the pace of land reforms, local natural and cultural conditions and communities play an important role. The latter are characterised either by conservatism or by readiness for reforms. Regarding the key villages, five different types were identified: 1) villages where most of the land has been redistributed among private owners (Karachay-Cherkessia); 2) villages that have preserved collective use (some settlements in the North Caucasus with mainly Russian population); 3) villages where access to land is regulated by the state (Chechnya); 4) villages where access to land is regulated by municipal bureaucracy at the district level (many other regions in the North Caucasus); and 5) villages where the right of access to land is in dispute between the government and the business and local communities (e.g. villages in the tourist areas of the North Caucasus).

In this article we analyse the dynamics of the insurgencies and the corresponding counter-insurgency measures in the North Caucasus over the past 25 years. By comparing three cases – Chechnya, Dagestan, and Kabardino-Balkaria – we identify similarities and differences in the way insurgencies and counter-insurgency measures influence governance in the region. Analysing different dynamics and outcomes under similar framework conditions – a federal state with a centralised government trying to govern a region with a shared history of rebellions against central rule and with similar geographic, social, and cultural features facilitating resistance and insurgencies – is a promising approach to better understanding conditions and implications of insurgency-induced governance in post-Soviet Russia.

The article provides an in-depth analysis of local governance in the North Caucasus, by example of land tenure conflicts in Kabardino-Balkaria. We follow an iterative analytical strategy, systematically combining qualitative case studies to develop grounded hypotheses, with subsequent statistical hypothesis testing. Based on fieldwork conducted in Kabardino-Balkaria, we identify the most relevant patterns and dynamics of natural resource governance. Our research shows that there are three dominant patterns. The first pattern is formed in areas where land is of little value and communities are left to themselves to solve issues. In the second case, larger businesses with state backing manage to monopolize land resources and sideline local communities. In the third case, local communities are strong enough to defend their control over external attempts to take hold of land resources. Finally, we use original survey data to further investigate plausible causes for stronger and weaker local self-governance and its consequences for state-society relations. We show that local self-government (LSG) lacks independence, and its functional quality depends on the degree of state interference via patronage. Despite this challenging environment, we find that higher perceptions of LSG quality predict more trust in the state at central and subnational level.