The International Mountain Society (IMS) is an association registered in Bern, Switzerland, for the purpose of advancing knowledge and disseminating information about mountain research and mountain development throughout the world. Membership in the IMS is open to national and international institutions active in the fields of mountain research and/or mountain development. The IMS aims to promote sustainable mountain development through improved communication among institutions and individuals, with a particular focus on mountain ecoregions in the developing world. To this end, the association publishes a quarterly journal, Mountain Research and Development (MRD), of which it holds the copyright. Together with MRD's donors and sponsors, the IMS ensures open access to all contents of MRD published as of 2000, which are available free of charge at BioOne: https://bioone.org/journals/mountain-research-and-development/.