Mountain research in protected areas in the Carpathians – a brief overview. eco.mont (Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research)|eco.mont Vol. 10 No. 2|

The Carpathians, as European mountains with exceptional natural and cultural values, are facing many challenges connected with sustainable development. Research provides important information for decision makers, planners and managers on how to deal with these issues. Here, we analyse by a systematic quantitative literature review 520 contributions to Forum Carpaticum conferences. Most of the research was conducted in Romania and Poland by universities and research institutes. Particular attention was paid to the topics of conservation and biodiversity, forestry and ecology, and land use and land cover change. Field research and data analysis, including modelling using modern tools, are among the most frequent approaches or technologies used for research. Research patterns potentially reflect the demand for, and supply of information and analysis in particular geographical areas and on specific topics. There are also growing impacts of technology and social media in this field. Our results could be used for indications of key future research directions and to identify current gaps in research in the Carpathians