The alpine habitats of northwest Yunnan (NWY) are identified as a conservation priority within the Yunnan Great Rivers Project because of their high species richness,endemism rates,threat status,and value to the economic and cultural well-being of local communities.However,because the alpine zone,covering roughly 12 % (8200 km2) of NWY,is such a large and widely distributed habitat type and our knowledge of these systems limited,additional information was required before geographic priorities could be established for conservation actions.It was recognized that effective conservation strategies would require an understanding of the ecology of the alpine,how local people use and manage this resource,and how climate change might impact these relationships.To address these issues,we used an integrated approach whereby conservation practitioners,sociologists,climate change experts,and plant ecologists worked together to design and implement a study to identify priorities and strategies for conservation of alpine areas across NWY.I will present this case study as an example of how coupled systems research in environmental conservation can be successfully implemented.