The IGU Commission of Mountain Studies (IGU_CMS) inherits the traditions of the mountain commissions of the past decades, starting with the Commission on High-Attitude Geoecology (1968-1976). Since then, we have noted a clear trend towards the interdisciplinarity of mountain research. In this regard, in the 1990s, the commission was named Mountain Geoecology and Sustainable Development.

A recent development in the 2010s named it the Commission of Mountain Responses to Climate Change. At present, mountain geography needs to study complex relationships in socioecological systems and cover various aspects of the relationship between humans and society in the mountains at the local, regional, and global levels.

Strengthening interdisciplinary approaches to the study of nature and culture in the mountains is very important to respond to current challenges –e.g., landscape transformation, climate change, regenerative development, etc. However, the use of interdisciplinary approaches is very uneven when studying mountain systems in the world: some mountain systems are studied in more detail and comprehensively, while others are weak or one-sided. By having the overarching theme of Mountain Studies we suggest that IGU_CMS will create a long-lasting effort to recruit and engage mountain geographers the world over.