ABSTRACT
Approximately 10 percent of the global population—1.3 billion people—resides above 3,000 feet (914 meters) in elevation, and 22 percent lives in regional moun tain communities. Additionally, in Europe, the mountain population is shrinking at least 15 percent faster than the population in the lowlands, primarily due to youth outmigration patterns and deaths of the elderly. Despite a low density of people per square mile in mountainous areas, such communities have inflicted widespread damage on their environments.
