The Carpathians are a distinct mountain chain in the core of Central and Eastern Europe holding valuable biological resources and a rich cultural heritage. The last twenty years have witnessed an increasing awareness of the Carpathians' value for European society and strengthened research cooperation in the region, especially after the enlargement of the European Union in 2004 and 2007.

This book presents a wide range of problems related to sustainable development in the Carpathian region that were discussed during the 1st Forum Carpaticum held in 2010 in Kraków, Poland. The four sections of the book deal with various issues related to the abiotic environment, forests and biodiversity, human activities, and research methods allowing a better understanding of the past, present and future of the Carpathians.

Zusammenfassung
The book includes a broad spectrum of perspectives from different scientific disciplines (both the natural and social sciences) as well as practical knowledge. It gives a new insight into the Carpathian mountain region

Inhalt

The Carpathian Mountains: challenges for the Central and Eastern European landmark.- Science for the Carpathians: using regional capacity to cope with global change.- Progress in understanding the dynamics of Carpathian abiotic environment.- Progress in understanding the dynamics of Carpathian abiotic environment.- Landslide susceptibility assessment: GIS application to a complex mountainous environment.- GIS evaluation of erosion-sedimentation risk caused by extreme convective rainstorms: case study of the Stonávka River catchment, Czech Republic.- Assessment of the impact of agricultural land utilization practices on soil losses.- The effects of climate change on element content and soil pH (Síkfkút DIRT Project, northern Hungary).- Climate changes in the vertical zones of the Polish Carpathians in the last 50 years.- Air temperature variability in the High Tatra Mountains.- Climate trends in the Slovak part of the Carpathians.