Mountain regions are fragile ecosystems and an important source of water, energy and biological diversity. Furthermore they are a source of such key resources as minerals, forest and agricultural products, as well as being landscapes for tourism and recreation. As a major ecosystem representing the complex and interrelated ecology of our planet, mountain environments are essential to the survival of the global ecosystem. Cultural landscapes in mountain regions develop and change over time as a result of the interplay of socio-economic, cultural and natural factors and can thus only be understood as a process. Since changes are often irreversible, any change and interference demands careful consideration. The Austrian mountain area has long been more than just an agricultural region. Rather it is a fully integrated living and working space, whose geographical characteristics do not lead to separation in a structural economic sense. They express themselves much more in the limited space available for settlement and industry, the handicaps on local kind-of-activity units carrying out the following economic activities: <br />Growing of crops (including the output of wine and olive oil from grapes and olives produced on the holding), farming of animals, mixed farming, paid agricultural work, and commercial hunting. Its production is from agricultural work and ancillary, non-agricultural activities of agricultural units where these activities cannot be separated from the main agricultural activity. Forestry covers local kind-of-activity units whose characteristic activities comprise forestry and logging related service activities. Agriculture and forestry correspond to the Divisions 01 and 02 of the Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community of EUROSTAT (NACE Rev.1); the WTO Agriculture Agreement designates sections 1 to 24 of the harmonised system and a few other produces therein as agricultural products.', CAPTION, 'Agriculture and forestry',BELOW,RIGHT, WIDTH, 350, FGCOLOR, '#F3F3F3', BGCOLOR, '#B7B8B9', TEXTCOLOR, '#505050', CAPCOLOR, '#000000', OFFSETX, 10, OFFSETY, 10);" onMouseOut="return nd();">agriculture and forestry, in an expensive infrastructure and a particularly sensitive landscape.