Mountain Convergence Principle: The Basis of Sustainable Development in Relation to Climate Change

The study deals with the impact of climate change on the sustainable development process specific to mountain areas, introducing the mountain convergence principle (MCP) as a benchmark and reference element for a more accurate understanding of the bioharmonized reality of this area. The chapter describes the “principle” by highlighting the direct relationship between specific resources and mountain functions. As a pragmatic aspect, the MCP can become the ideational link between interdisciplinary concerns and emerging and resilient approaches on this topic. In this sense, the paper highlights some of the directions in which the application of the principle becomes necessary from the perspective of the societal evolution of mountain areas. The study contributes to the concrete implementation of sustainable development in fragile areas, under the current conditions of climate change combined with a foreseeable food crisis in this context, by structuring the necessary framework for the development of strategies and public policies applied to the specific space and society of Romanian mountain areas.