The publication is an integrated assessment report on the state of, and trends related to, the environment of the Carpathian Mountains and wider region, retrospectively over the past 30 years and forward to 2020. This assessment is based on analyses of socio-economic and environmental processes and focuses on sustainable development issues, notably the environmental implications of human and economic activities. The Outlook section of the report presents three scenarios of future development for the Carpathians, exploring the relationship and synergies between policy decisions taken, the human situation and the natural environment. The report provides greater knowledge about the unique ecology and related environmental and human problems of the Carpathians, along with better information for sustainable decision-making in this unique region and, in particular, the implementation of the Carpathian Framework Convention.