FROM THE EDITOR.

• Author: Kiernan, James Patrick

If change is inevitable, we are still not obliged to increase its velocity or accept it as our unmodifiable fate. In these pages of Americas you will find stories about how communities in Sonora, Mexico, and on Grand Manan Island in Canada are confronting, with varying degrees of success, forces that threaten their social identity and economic well-being. The striking images of "la vida nortena" belie the extent to which major population shifts, destructive environmental changes, and pervasive cultural influences imperil Sonoran life. The traditional inshore fishermen of the Canadian Maritimes have rejected and opposed large fishing fleets, factory boats, and the application of sophisticated technology, and through community-based ecosystem management have maintained the lobster and fish stocks that support their communities and a modest prosperity.

It is not simply geographic determinism to suggest that those who live in similar topography have similar concerns. Supporting that contention, the Mountain Forum helps mountain communities across the world connect directly via the Internet so that they can share their particular...