People living in mountain areas have long used migration as a strategy to make optimal use of natural resources, ensure food security, strengthen their social and economic networks, and fulfil personal aspirations. Even today, migration continues to be an adaptive response to environmental, societal, economic and political pressure.
Experience from around the world shows that labour migration can help to reduce poverty and diversify livelihoods in mountains and beyond, but its success is determined by several factors. Which member of the household is migrating and under what conditions, and how effective is the transfer, management and investment of remittances?

Across the globe, migration from rural mountain areas has reached such a scale that depopulation and the seasonal absence of people of working age are widespread.
This can have far-reaching consequences for the lives of those who stay behind, for the social fabric of mountain communities, and for the management of mountain ecosystems. Understanding why people migrate as well as the social, economic and ecological consequences of their action is key to enhancing the benefits and addressing the downsides of migration in mountain areas.

This issue of the Sustainable Mountain Development Series focuses on the situation in rural areas, where about 70 percent of mountain people still live. It seeks to provide insights into the complex migration processes and the resulting opportunities and challenges for mountain communities and regions. It also presents a selection of good practices that contribute to sustainable development in rural mountain regions, either by reducing people’s distress at leaving the mountains or by facilitating positive outcomes of migration.

The publication concludes with a set of policy messages that outline how migration can be integrated into policyand decision-making effectively, to promote the sustainable development of rural mountain areas.