Forests constitute an important resource in the Asian mountains. If inaccessibility preserved them in the past, this same factor acts as a constraint to their commercial exploitation. Asian mountains are also rich in minerals, but these occur mainly outside the Alpine fold system on older rock formations. Central Asia and eastern Australia are particularly well endowed in iron, copper, tin, lead, zinc, gold, and silver. Iron is mined in peninsular India, in Korea, and in west Australia.
Tin is mined mainly in South-East Asia and copper in Japan, the Philippines, and eastern Australia.
Lead and zinc are extracted in North-East Asia and eastern Australia. As with forest resources, the problem of mineral exploitation is of transport from the source to the market. This inexhaustible resource has been well developed in Japan, New Zealand, and parts of China in relation to other parts of the region. In other areas, it is constrained by the high cost of infrastructure. However, improvements in road access and increasing energy demands have made the execution of many hydropower projects feasible.