essay international year of sustainable mountain development

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Sustainability of Mountain Ecosystems, Communities Must Be Central to 2030 Agenda Implementation, Secretary-General Says in Message Marking Observance Launch

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the launch of the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, today:

Today marks the launch of the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly after a proposal by Kyrgyzstan and 93 co-sponsors. Mountainous areas cover almost a third of the planet’s land surface and are home to some 1.1 billion people, or 15 per cent of the world’s population. Mountain regions provide essential ecosystem services by regulating climate and hydrological cycles. They support livelihoods through farming, grazing, tourism and natural products. And they are significant havens of rare and fragile biological diversity, with many species existing nowhere else. From the 4,300 varieties of potatoes found in the Andes to the 5,000 varieties of coffee that grow in Ethiopia, these genetic resources are staples of farming and food systems around the world.

Many indigenous communities have millennia of experience in sustainably conserving the mountain environment. But, around the world, poverty, food insecurity and the social exclusion of people living in mountain areas is increasing. More than half of all rural people in mountain areas face food insecurity. Access to safe and affordable drinking water, basic sanitation and sustainable modern energy remains limited. Environmental degradation and disaster risk are increasing, exacerbated by climate disruption. Mountains are more vulnerable to climate change and adaptation capacity is insufficient.

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Launching Event of the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development

28 April 2022 | Online

The launching event of the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, 2022, aimed to raise awareness of the importance of mountains for sustainable development. Speakers drew attention to the ecosystem services that mountain ecosystems provide and the challenges mountain communities face, including in the context of climate change.

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Highlights and images highlights and images for 28 april 2022.

The 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) declared the year 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, following a proposal of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. A global high-level event launched the celebrations of the International Year and promoted global commitments toward the protection of these vulnerable ecosystems and the building of resilience of mountain peoples.

Titled “International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development, 2022” (document A/76/L.28), the UNGA resolution was sponsored by 94 governments and adopted on 16 December 2021. It aims to increase awareness of the importance of sustainable mountain development and the conservation and sustainable use of mountain ecosystems. It invites the Mountain Partnership, in collaboration with all relevant organizations, to facilitate the observance of the International Year. The Mountain Partnership is a UN voluntary alliance of partners dedicated to improving the lives of mountain peoples and protecting mountain environments around the world. It currently has more than 400 members, including governments, intergovernmental organizations, major groups, and subnational authorities. It is supported by a Secretariat hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).

The year 2022 also marks the 20th anniversary of the first International Year devoted to mountains (International Year of Mountains 2002) as well as the 20th anniversary of the Mountain Partnership. The launch event of the International Year was held online on 28 April 2022, from 15:30 – 17:00 Rome time, under the theme “Mountains Matter: For people and the planet.”

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Climate Change

2022: International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development

More needs to be done to increase awareness of the importance of the conservation and sustainable use of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity..

The prevalence of poverty, food insecurity, social exclusion, environmental degradation and exposure to the risk of disasters is still increasing in mountain regions, particularly in developing countries. Access to safe and affordable drinking water and basic sanitation as well as to sustainable modern energy services continues to be limited in some mountain regions.

The International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development was proposed by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, sponsored by 94 governments and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2021. It aims to highlight the importance of sustainable mountain development and the need to preserve mountain ecosystems.

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28 april 2022, secretary-general's message on the launch of the international year of sustainable mountain development 2022 [scroll down for french version], amina j. mohammed, deputy secretary-general.

Many indigenous communities have millennia of experience in sustainably conserving the mountain environment. But around the world, poverty, food insecurity and the social exclusion of people living in mountain areas is increasing. More than half of all rural people in mountain areas face food insecurity. Access to safe and affordable drinking water, basic sanitation and sustainable modern energy remains limited. Environmental degradation and disaster risk are increasing, exacerbated by climate disruption. Mountains are more vulnerable to climate change and adaptation capacity is insufficient.

The International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development 2022 is an opportunity to place the sustainability and resilience of mountain ecosystems and communities at the heart of international processes, policies and investments within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. I urge the international community to observe the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development along with the United Nations system. Let us work together for sustainable mountain development so mountain peoples and the planet as a whole can thrive. ***** Nous lançons aujourd’hui l’Année internationale du développement durable dans les régions montagneuses, proclamée par l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies sur proposition du Kirghizistan, auquel se sont joints 93 États. Les régions montagneuses couvrent près d’un tiers de la surface terrestre de la planète et abritent quelque 1,1 milliard de personnes, soit 15 % de la population mondiale. Elles fournissent des services écosystémiques essentiels en régulant le climat et les cycles hydrologiques. Elles procurent des moyens de subsistance, grâce aux activités agricoles et pastorales, au tourisme et aux produits naturels. Et elles recèlent une importante diversité biologique, rare et fragile, où de nombreuses espèces n’existent nulle part ailleurs. Des 4 300 variétés de pommes de terre que l’on trouve dans les Andes aux 5 000 variétés de café qui poussent en Éthiopie, ces ressources génétiques sont à la base de systèmes agricoles et alimentaires dans le monde entier.

De nombreuses communautés autochtones ont une expérience millénaire de la conservation durable du milieu montagneux. Cependant, dans le monde entier, la pauvreté, l’insécurité alimentaire et l’exclusion sociale sont en augmentation parmi les habitants des régions montagneuses. Plus de la moitié de la population rurale de ces régions est en proie à l’insécurité alimentaire. L’accès à l’eau potable à un coût abordable, à des installations sanitaires de base et à des sources modernes d’énergie durable demeure limité. La dégradation de l’environnement et les risques de catastrophe s’intensifient, exacerbés par le dérèglement climatique. Les montagnes sont plus vulnérables face aux changements climatiques et leurs capacités d’adaptation sont insuffisantes.

L’Année internationale du développement durable dans les régions montagneuses (2022) est l’occasion de placer la pérennité et la résilience des écosystèmes et des populations de montagne au cœur des activités, des politiques et des investissements réalisés au niveau international dans le cadre du Programme de développement durable à l’horizon 2030. J’invite instamment la communauté internationale à célébrer l’Année internationale du développement durable dans les régions montagneuses de concert avec le système des Nations Unies. Œuvrons ensemble à la mise en valeur durable des montagnes afin que les populations de ces régions et la planète toute entière puissent prospérer.

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OPINION article

The international year of sustainable mountain development 2022: an opportunity to promote action for mountains.

$\nRosalaura Romeo$

Mountain Partnership Secretariat, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy

Introduction

On 16 December 2021, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly proclaimed 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development (IYM2022) at the proposal of the Kyrgyz Government [ United Nations (UN), 2021 ].

The UN General Assembly resolution on the IYM2022 was sponsored by 94 governments and invited the Mountain Partnership (MP), in collaboration with all relevant organizations, to facilitate the observance of the Year [ United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), 2021 ].

Founded in 2002, the MP is the UN alliance dedicated to mountains and mountain people. Through the exchange of experience, knowledge and expertise among its members (counting 60 governments, 11 subnational authorities, 18 intergovernmental organizations, 362 major groups as of 26 April 2022), the MP addresses challenges facing mountain regions at the global level. Its main role is to facilitate dialogue on priority issues faced by mountain peoples and environments. The pillars of work of the alliance are advocacy, capacity development, communications and knowledge management as well as joint projects among members.

The MP is supported by a Secretariat that is hosted at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and supported by the Governments of Andorra, Italy and Switzerland.

The IYM2022 represents a unique chance to raise awareness on the role of mountains and mountain people for the planet and sustainable development as well as for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [ United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), 2015 ]. It is an opportunity to catalyse action and investments to build the resilience of vulnerable mountain communities and ecosystems in the spirit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind [ United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), 2015 ]. It also marks the twentieth anniversary since the first International Year of Mountains in 2002 [ United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), 1998 ] as well as the twentieth anniversary of the MP.

The following opinion article outlines the major mountain milestones that have been achieved since mountains first became recognized for their global importance, highlights why mountains and sustainable mountain food systems are relevant today for all people and the planet, and provides a roadmap for how the IYM2022 can be an opportunity to promote action for mountains.

Milestones in the global mountain agenda

The global mountain agenda dates back to the UN Conference on Environment and Development (or the “Earth Summit”), which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. At the Earth Summit, an entire chapter of the adopted plan of action “Agenda 21” was dedicated to mountains: “Chapter 13: Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” ( United Nations Conference on Environment Development, 1992 ).

Agenda 21 represented the most comprehensive plan of action for governments, major groups and organizations of the UN to address the impacts of human activities on the environment developed until then. Chapter 13 included key objectives for sustainable mountain development, such as raising awareness of the importance of mountains at global, regional and local levels; protecting mountain natural resource; enhancing the livelihoods of local communities and indigenous people; and promoting international cooperation on mountains, among other [ Makino et al., 2019b ].

Another milestone for mountains was the proclamation of the International Year of Mountains 2002. Its main outcome was the launching of the International Partnership for Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions [ United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), 2002 ], commonly referred to today as the Mountain Partnership. As the task manager for of Agenda 21's chapter 13 and the lead UN agency to coordinate observance of the International Year of Mountains 2002, FAO was designated as the host organization for the Mountain Partnership Secretariat.

At the regional level, the Alpine Convention, an international treaty to address transboundary cooperation in the Alps, was signed in 1991 and entered into effect in 1995 (Alpine Convention). The Carpathian Convention was adopted and signed by the seven member countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic and Ukraine) in May 2003. It entered into force in January 2006. The Carpathian Convention is the only multi-level governance mechanism for the entire Carpathian area. It “provides a framework for cooperation and multi-sectoral policy coordination, a platform for joint strategies for sustainable development, and a forum for dialogue between all stakeholders involved,” ( Climate-ADAPT, 2016 ).

Also during the 1990s, an agreement was signed between France and Spain to foster regional transborder cooperation [ United Nations (UN), 2001 ]. The agreement provided the basis for the creation of the Community of Work of the Pyrenees, the mountain range that constitutes the natural border between France and Spain. Today, the Consortium for the Community of Work of the Pyrenees involves the bordering regions of France (Nouvelle Aquitaine and Occitanie), Spain (Aragon, Catalunya, Euskadi and Navarra) and the Principality of Andorra. Together they work for the sustainable development of the mountain territories of the Pyrenees, to promote exchanges between the territories and stakeholders, and to find solutions to their common problems and challenges, acting strategically and structurally for the development of the region.

In 2004, more than ten years following the adoption of Agenda 21, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted a Programme of Work on Mountain Biological Diversity with the overall purpose to significantly reduce the loss of mountain biological diversity loss by 2010 at global, regional and national levels. The CBD decision emphasized the importance of mountain biodiversity for livelihoods, and recognized “the value of traditional and sustainable land use practices of indigenous and local communities in preserving mountain biodiversity,” [ Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), 2004 ].

Largely as a result of MP members' active collaboration and engagement in the run-up to, and during negotiations for the third International Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), three paragraphs on mountains were included in the outcome document “The Future We Want” ( United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, 2012 ).

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted in 2015 also included three mountain-related targets under two of the 17 SDGs, thus recognizing the importance of pursuing sustainable mountain development for a more sustainable future [ United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), 2015 ].

In 2017, members of the MP launched a Framework for Action [ Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), 2017a ] to ensure that sustainable mountain development would be accounted for in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. The Framework for Action calls upon governments and major groups “to support concrete actions, put in place long-lasting processes, and establish policies to strengthen the resilience of mountain peoples and environments,” [ Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), 2017b ].

Most recently, at the end of 2021, the UN General Assembly declared 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development. The resolution notes that “despite the progress made in promoting the sustainable development of mountain regions and the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, the prevalence of poverty, food insecurity, social exclusion, environmental degradation and exposure to the risk of disasters is still increasing, particularly in developing countries, and access to safe and affordable drinking water and basic sanitation as well as to sustainable modern energy services continues to be limited,” [ United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), 2021 ].

Why mountains matter

Mountains are home to 1.1 billion people or 15 percent of the global population ( Romeo et al., 2020 ), but more than half of humanity relies on mountain freshwater for everyday life ( FAO, 2019 ), hence mountains are often referred to as the “water towers of the world.”

While the relevance of mountains for the sustainable development agenda is being increasingly recognized, efforts are still needed to eradicate the chronic poverty and hunger of mountain peoples and to protect fragile mountain ecosystems and, in particular, their water-related functions.

A 2020 study by FAO, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification found that in rural mountain regions of developing countries, food insecurity is still prevalent. The study demonstrates that between 2000 and 2017, the share of rural mountain people vulnerable to food insecurity in developing countries constantly increased ( Romeo et al., 2020 ).

The COVID-19 pandemic has further compounded the vulnerabilities of mountain people, who were already affected by conflicts, climate and other global changes.

Building more sustainable food systems in mountains is key to increase mountain people's food security and resilience to climate change as well as to protect vital ecosystem services.

Mountain communities' livelihoods are rooted in mountain agriculture. In mountain regions, where largely harsh weather and limiting topographical conditions prevail, small-scale farmers and pastoralists are predominant [ Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), 2021b ]. Many mountain producers are conserving mountain agrobiodiversity through the cultivation and production of high quality mountain products (coffee, teas, spices, pulses and ancient grains) and sustainable pastoral systems, but they need training and support in making their value chains more efficient and equitable to improve livelihoods.

According to the information sheet developed by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, together with the Centre for Development and Environment for the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, there is a need to improve the situation of small-scale mountain farmers worldwide to achieve progress toward sustainable food systems:

“Over centuries, mountain people have developed agricultural techniques to cultivate the land for food production and have designed mechanisms to govern their commons while preserving the natural resources surrounding them. As a result, inhabited mountain areas are often characterized by agricultural terraces or alpine pastures [that are] rich in biodiversity, agrobiodiversity and biocultural diversity, owing to the fast-changing terrain and climate conditions,” [ Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), 2021b ].

“The diversity of agricultural varieties and wild crop relatives and animal breeds in mountain farming systems are the basis for ensuring diversified and affordable healthy diets for mountain people. In addition, mountains represent an important repository of agrobiodiversity that might be key to the future of world food security in the face of climate change by providing a gene pool of resilient crops,” [ Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), 2021b ].

“Mountain agricultural systems provide important ecosystem functions” [ Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), 2021b ] such as the protection and retention of slopes, which also contribute to the provision of freshwater for downstream populations. Such global benefits are often not fully understood and valued.

Participants of the independent dialogue organized by the MP within the framework of the Food Systems Summit furthermore identified ways to make food systems in mountain areas globally safer, stronger and more equitable. Their suggestions included to protect traditional and indigenous food systems, include the impacts of climate change on mountains in policy, address land rights and tenure issues through policy and advocacy by bringing everyone to the table, and promote specialized mountain products to build resilience [ Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), 2021a ].

The practice of agroecology in mountains and the conservation of agrobiodiversity can also result in more resilient agricultural and food systems. In 2021, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat launched the report Mountain farming systems—Seeds for the futures . The publication highlights experiences of agroecological mountain farming systems, aiming to showcase their potential for driving progress toward reducing rural poverty, contributing to zero hunger and ensuring the resilience of mountain communities while maintaining the provision of global ecosystem services, especially those related to water ( Romeo et al., 2021 ).

How to build on the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development

With 8 years to go to the expiration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, there is an urgency to overcome the challenges faced by mountains by joining forces with all stakeholders, fostering partnerships and spurring sustainable growth.

The marginalization of mountain people—from political processes, from decent access to employment, training, education and infrastructure including digitalization—hinders their full participation and empowerment.

There is a need to amplify both indigenous knowledge and the findings of scientific research. For example, the recently published Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Cross-Chapter Paper on Mountains builds evidence of the plight of mountain people that can be used to inform policy-making and investments ( Adler et al., 2022 ). To improve the science-policy dialogue, within the framework of the IYM2022, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat launched an Open-ended Scientific Committee that will produce scientifically sound messages to mobilize attention and resources through the development of a series of policy briefs [ Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), 2022a ].

Multilateral cooperation needs to be strengthened, including through the implementation of commitments under multilateral environmental agreements and other intergovernmentally agreed commitments and goals. These should include the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and the UN Food Systems Summit processes.

At regional and local level, capacity development and training are crucial for building expertise and sharing knowledge about mountain regions in different areas across the world. Since 2008, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat has organized the annual summer training programme “IPROMO.” The two-week course provides an opportunity to learn and discuss the key challenges and opportunities for mountain sustainable development. Topics range from the management of watersheds, natural resources and soils, to disaster risk reduction, economic development, climate change, forestry, governance and communication. The main partners of the course are the University of Turin and the University of Tuscia, Italy, with the high patronage of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The summer school “GROW—Agrobiodiversity in a changing climate,” also organized by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat in collaboration with the Sapienza University of Rome and Bioversity International, focuses on the importance of biodiversity in agriculture. It aims to give participants the knowledge and tools necessary to improve the resilience and adaptability of cropping and farming systems—particularly in fragile ecosystems such as mountains—to climate change, while enhancing productivity and marketing strategies.

Traditional and Indigenous agricultural knowledge and practices, including knowledge on local breeds and plant varieties, are essential sources for a sustainable management of mountain commons [ Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), 2022b ].

Furthermore, diversifying livelihoods and investments in sectors such as education, energy production and security for households or touristic and other infrastructure can strengthen the resilience of mountain food systems and help strengthen food security [ Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), 2021b ].

Finally, including relevant mountain actors and encouraging their active participation in decision-making processes is key. Women and youth in particular should be considered and encouraged, as they tend to be disadvantaged in mountains and face inherent inequalities in terms of higher agricultural workloads, fewer land rights and less participation in decision-making [ Mountain Partnership Secretariat (MPS), 2021b ]. Yet women are vital to environmental action in mountain ecosystems as they contribute to resource management, biodiversity conservation, water and food security ( Aijazi et al., 2021 ).

This International Year marks the 20th anniversary since the proclamation by the United Nations General Assembly of the International Year of Mountains 2002 as well as the 20th anniversary of the Mountain Partnership. It is an opportunity to build on the multistakeholder network of the Mountain Partnership, on global and regional collaboration, research, and sharing of information and experiences to raise awareness of mountain ecosystems' relevance to our everyday lives and the risks they face.

Building this awareness is essential to ensuring that investments and policies are directed toward increasing the resilience of mountain people and protecting mountain ecosystems ( Makino et al., 2019a ).

The issue of mountain people and ecosystems being left behind and not receiving the adequate attention and investments needed to respond to their most pressing challenges affects the entire world—from those living on the highest peaks to the deepest valleys—because mountains matter for us all.

Author contributions

RR is the lead author of this article. Mountain Partnership Secretariat Advocacy and Outreach Officer SM, and Communication and Outreach Expert SA, supported the drafting and editing of this article. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Author disclaimer

The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

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Keywords: sustainable mountain development, mountains, mountain areas, mountain partnership, international year of sustainable mountain development

Citation: Romeo R, Manuelli S and Abear S (2022) The International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development 2022: an opportunity to promote action for mountains. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 6:933080. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.933080

Received: 30 April 2022; Accepted: 28 June 2022; Published: 29 July 2022.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2022 Romeo, Manuelli and Abear. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Sara Manuelli, sara.manuelli@fao.org

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Center for Global Mountain Safeguard Research - News & Events - International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development - GLOMOS events

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On 16 December 2021, the United Nations General Assembly has proclamed 2022 the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development (IYSM2022).

On this occasion, all actors engaging in mountain sustainable development are invited to raise awareness on the critical role played by mountain regions and mountain ecosystems for both highland and lowland populations.

In addition, 2022 marks a special year for also being the 20-year anniversary from the first-ever international day dedicated to mountains, following which the Mountain Partnership, the United Nations alliance dedicated to improving the lives of mountain people and protecting mountain environments around the world, moved its first steps.

As invited members of the Open-ended Scientific Committee to this IYSM2022, the GLOMOS Center has planned a series of activities and events to pass the messages of this resolution:

Conferences and Workshops:

Southern African Mountains Conference ( SAMC2022 ): co-organized in South Africa from March 14th to 17th with the partners from the Afromontane Research Unit of the Free State University of South Africa

Multi-stakeholder workshop on Safeguarding Mountain Communities: organized in Kotayk/Syunik (Armenia) from May 17th to 20th as part of a project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), it aims at fostering multi-stakeholder dialogue, build partnerships, enhance awareness, and provide insight into the latest global developments around disaster risk reduction (More informations about the project can be found at the bottom of this page)

International Training Course on Climate Change Adaptation related to Soil and Water issues: hosted at Eurac Research premises in Bolzano (Italy) from June 7th to 17th, the training is co-organized with the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

International Mountain Conference : hosted in Innsbruck (Austria) from September 11th to 15th, the conference sees GLOMOS Head Stefan Schneiderbauer as member of the Scientific Committee. In addition, GLOMOS staff will lead four focus sessions and a plenary session.

Sixth Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership “Building Alliances for Resilient Mountains”: hosted by the Aspen International Mountain Foundation in Aspen, Colorado, from September 26th to 29th, the event will see GLOMOS participating as active member of the Mountain Partnership and member of the Open-ended Scientific Committee of IYSM2022.

Publications

Edited Book “Safeguarding Mountain Social-Ecological Systems: a Global Challenge”, to be published by Elsevier in 2022. Featuring examples of challenges and opportunities in global mountain regions, the book includes contribution from the major representatives of the efforts towards sustainable mountain development. (More informations about the publication can be found at the bottom of this page))

GLOMOS-GIZ Peru GCF

Support to GIZ PERU for GCF project development

SDC Project Armenia

lncreasing resilience of the most vulnerable climate-affected communities in Kotayk, Armenia

Safeguarding Mountains

Safeguarding Mountain Social-Ecological Systems: A Global Challenge - Facing emerging risks, ...

Other News & Events

Green Mountain Pioneers Film Screening and Panel Discussion

Film screening + Panel discussion

07 December 2023

Summiting challenges - talking mountains with Stefan Schneiderbauer self.__wrap_b=(e,t,r)=>{let n=(r=r||document.querySelector(`[data-br="${e}"]`)).parentElement,o=e=>r.style.maxWidth=e+"px";r.style.maxWidth="";let i=n.clientWidth,u=n.clientHeight,a=i/2-.25,c=i+.5,d;if(i){for(;a+1 {self.__wrap_b(0,+r.dataset.brr,r)})).observe(n)};self.__wrap_b(":Rjl8ijla579uuuuurtta:",1)

03 November 2023

Innovation for mountain areas self.__wrap_b=(e,t,r)=>{let n=(r=r||document.querySelector(`[data-br="${e}"]`)).parentElement,o=e=>r.style.maxWidth=e+"px";r.style.maxWidth="";let i=n.clientWidth,u=n.clientHeight,a=i/2-.25,c=i+.5,d;if(i){for(;a+1 {self.__wrap_b(0,+r.dataset.brr,r)})).observe(n)};self.__wrap_b(":Rjl8qjla579uuuuurtta:",1)

13 October 2023

Launch Policy Brief “Towards systemic disaster risk reduction in mountains” self.__wrap_b=(e,t,r)=>{let n=(r=r||document.querySelector(`[data-br="${e}"]`)).parentElement,o=e=>r.style.maxWidth=e+"px";r.style.maxWidth="";let i=n.clientWidth,u=n.clientHeight,a=i/2-.25,c=i+.5,d;if(i){for(;a+1 {self.__wrap_b(0,+r.dataset.brr,r)})).observe(n)};self.__wrap_b(":Rjl92jla579uuuuurtta:",1)

GLOMOS in South Africa for PhuthaPop Data Collection Campaign

17 August 2023

GLOMOS in South Africa for PhuthaPop Data Collection Campaign self.__wrap_b=(e,t,r)=>{let n=(r=r||document.querySelector(`[data-br="${e}"]`)).parentElement,o=e=>r.style.maxWidth=e+"px";r.style.maxWidth="";let i=n.clientWidth,u=n.clientHeight,a=i/2-.25,c=i+.5,d;if(i){for(;a+1 {self.__wrap_b(0,+r.dataset.brr,r)})).observe(n)};self.__wrap_b(":Rjl9ajla579uuuuurtta:",1)

19 July 2023

preparing for the International Year of Glaciers' Preservation, 2025 self.__wrap_b=(e,t,r)=>{let n=(r=r||document.querySelector(`[data-br="${e}"]`)).parentElement,o=e=>r.style.maxWidth=e+"px";r.style.maxWidth="";let i=n.clientWidth,u=n.clientHeight,a=i/2-.25,c=i+.5,d;if(i){for(;a+1 {self.__wrap_b(0,+r.dataset.brr,r)})).observe(n)};self.__wrap_b(":Rjl9ijla579uuuuurtta:",1)

28 June 2023

GLOMOS presents at ECRP 23 in Bucharest self.__wrap_b=(e,t,r)=>{let n=(r=r||document.querySelector(`[data-br="${e}"]`)).parentElement,o=e=>r.style.maxWidth=e+"px";r.style.maxWidth="";let i=n.clientWidth,u=n.clientHeight,a=i/2-.25,c=i+.5,d;if(i){for(;a+1 {self.__wrap_b(0,+r.dataset.brr,r)})).observe(n)};self.__wrap_b(":Rjl9qjla579uuuuurtta:",1)

Quale autonomia? Sostenibilità per il Nord e migrazioni dal Sud del mondo

Autonomie und Nachhaltigkeit: Was soll ich, was sollen wir für die Umwelt tun? Autonomia e sostenibilità: quali sono i doveri individuali e collettivi verso l’ambiente?

12 May 2023

GLOMOS hosts workshop in Tadami UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Japan self.__wrap_b=(e,t,r)=>{let n=(r=r||document.querySelector(`[data-br="${e}"]`)).parentElement,o=e=>r.style.maxWidth=e+"px";r.style.maxWidth="";let i=n.clientWidth,u=n.clientHeight,a=i/2-.25,c=i+.5,d;if(i){for(;a+1 {self.__wrap_b(0,+r.dataset.brr,r)})).observe(n)};self.__wrap_b(":Rjlaajla579uuuuurtta:",1)

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Accountability

OUR PLEDGES

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Our Members

Where we work, international year of sustainable mountain development and why youth matters.

Alina Zhenishbekova, Ulukbek Abdykadyrov Global Land Forum Youth 2022 Delegates
When: 22 Apr 2022
Where: Kyrgyzstan Asia
Commitments:
Members: RDF KAFLU
Tags: Locally Managed Ecosystems

Alina and Ulukbek are Delegates of ILC's Global Land Forum Youth 2022 from Kyrgyzstan. On Earth Day, they share with us why it's important to preserve Kyrgyzstan's mountain biodiversity.

The year 2022 has been declared the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development. The decision was taken in December 2021, when participants of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution to declare this observation, at the proposal of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.

As part of the resolution’s implementation, the Government of Kyrgyzstan will promote an initiative for the adoption of a five-year action plan for the development of mountain regions. In January 2022 the action plan was declared the Year of Protection of Mountain Ecosystems and Climate Sustainability. This is a big step toward paying more attention to the conservation of mountainous areas, as mountains are a source of biodiversity, not just for Kyrgyzstan, but for the entire Central Asian region.

Why do mountains matter to Kyrgyzstan?

About 95% of the land in Kyrgyzstan is covered by mountains. They protect the country from the frosty winds of Siberia and the sultry heat of the surrounding deserts. In turn, this has created unique diverse climatic conditions in the mountainous regions, which makes local biodiversity thrive. Despite its small territory, the Kyrgyz mountains accommodate 1% of the planet's total biodiversity .

Ecosystems such as pistachio, almond, nuts, and fruit forests possess rare, endemic, and endangered species of trees. At the same time, the forests are an important economic resource of the country and provide livelihoods for the people. Almost all types of plant communities that are characteristic of the Eurasian continent are found in Kyrgyzstan.

essay international year of sustainable mountain development

Pastureland in Kyrgyzstan. Photo: ILC/Mirlan Abdulaev

Climate change is a blow to the stability of the entire Central Asian region

Mountain ecosystems are vulnerable to extreme climate and are most often exposed to phenomena such as soil erosion, landslides, natural disasters, rapid destruction of habitat conditions and genetic diversity, as well as degradation of pastures.

A number of reasons for the deterioration of mountain ecosystems can be identified, such as climate change, anthropogenic/human impact, a reduction in the areas of forest and shrubs, and natural renewal of coniferous species, among others. All this leads to the progressive depletion of species diversity and ultimately, the desertification of territories and the disruption of ecosystem stability.

Further deterioration of mountains also affects local communities, their well-being and access to natural resources such as land, water, forests and pastures. Because of the water stress and degradation of land resources caused by the climate crisis, there has been an intensification of conflicts between forest and pasture users. This is why effective policies are needed for land users to face these challenges.

Aigul Aidarbekova (left) and her son Zalkar (right) are generational pastoralists living in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan. Photo: ILC/Mirlan Abdulaev

The role of local communities and organisations in the conservation of mountain ecosystems

Local communities in Kyrgyzstan, realising the importance of their contribution to the preservation of nature, have become increasingly involved in the process of conservation, restoration, and rational use of natural resources. These local communities, on their own initiative, protect and contribute to the improvement of the state of natural territories, disseminate information about the importance of preserving ecosystems and biodiversity, and create protected areas, thereby motivating others to take care of nature.

For example, the local community Tooluu Oroon (meaning mountain valley) from the Toguz-Bulak village in northern Kyrgyzstan, where up to 1,200 families live, has taken wetlands under their self-governance and protected this area from poachers and hunters.

Another local community, the Public Association of Pasture Users of the Cholpon village in Kochkor district, preserve and rationally use pasture lands of the Ak-Ki and Son-Kol plots, with a total area of approximately 53,499 hectares.

Youth at the centre of it all

We as youth representatives from ILC members the Rural Development Fund and the Kyrgyz Association of Forest and Land Users support the work of such communities that protect the natural territories and ecosystems of Kyrgyzstan.

In particular, we work with young people and women from the communities, involve them in educational seminars, support and facilitate their participation in decision-making processes, and also advise them on issues of respect for nature using the traditional knowledge of our ancestors coupled with new innovations.

Within the framework of the year of protection of mountain ecosystems and climate sustainability, the government-run national campaign " Zhashyl Muras " ("Green Heritage") is being carried out, providing support and assistance in the implementation of projects, activities on ecology, conservation of natural territories, resources, and biodiversity, where young people actively participate in the national scale forest planting.

As delegates for the Global Land Forum Youth 2022 in Jordan, we are excited to promote the conservation of mountain, forest, and water ecosystems as these are directly related to human rights and the availability of land for everyone.

Meet the authors

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Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions

The main outcome of the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development 2022 was the declaration of 2023–2027 as Five Years of Action for the Development of Mountain Regions.

Activities planned for the period aim to enhance the international community's awareness of issues affecting mountain countries and to give new impetus to efforts aimed at addressing their challenges. Proclamation of the Five Years of Action was proposed by the Government of Kyrgyzstan; it was included in the final draft of the triennial resolution on sustainable mountain development, which was approved by the United Nations General Assembly on 22 November 2022 and co-sponsored by 110 governments.

The Mountain Partnership Secretariat is coordinating a task force and working group that have been established to define a global action plan for the Five Years of Action. The following list includes summary reports of the meetings of the task force and working group.

Task force meeting summary notes - 5 April 2023
Working group meeting summary notes - 13 April 2023
Task force meeting summary notes - 23 October 2023

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Upcoming Events

v INTRODUCTION:

In 2022, the United Nations General Assembly declared the year 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development to increase awareness for the importance of sustainable mountain development, and the conservation and sustainable use of mountain ecosystems

In between both of these historic events, significant progress and improvements have been made in mountain biodiversity conservation, cultural conservation; education, scientific research methods, tourism development, and art.

The purpose of the conference is to explore each of these sectors from the perspective of globally renowned professionals in the physical and social research sciences, education, development, art, filmmaking, tourism, and conservation.

We hope you will join this important opportunity !

v PROGRAM

v VENUE

We will have the hybrid conference on Days 1 and 2 (1st and 2nd December). Presentations will be done in the combination of in-person at the venue and by Zoom to minimize the risk of COVID-19.

All sessions on Day 3 (3rd December) will be done by Zoom only.

Room reservations at Special Rates

To participate in the onsite conference on Days 1 and 2 (1st and 2nd December), you may want to stay overnight at Chandragiri Hills Resort, the venue of the conference.

You can book your room at a special discount rate through the special e-mail address, [email protected] , mentioning the Sustainable Mountain Conference participant.

Please be advised to book your room as soon as possible because the number of the rooms at the special discount is limited.

In-person conference will be taken place at Chandragiri Hills Resort, just 10 km away from the city center of Kathmandu.

Chandragiri Hills Ltd. Thankot, Kathmandu, Nepal

v ONLINE REGISTRATION

We are using an independent online payment system. You will be jumped to the independent payment page with high security, which is managed by the GLP (Global Land Programme) Japan Nodal Office. Please click the link below to go to the registration page:

Https://www.glpasiaconference.com/.

v ONLINE ABSTRACTSUBMISSION

Extended deadline for abstract submission

We would like to inform you that the deadline for submitting abstracts for the SMD Conference 2022, originally scheduled for October 16, 2022, has been extended by 17 days and the new deadline is October 31, 2022.

Welcome to the abstract submission online form. You can submit your abstract only through this system.

Abstracts must be formatted using the Word template. Abstract word limit is 200 excluding the title and presenters’ names. Please find the reference below to download the abstract template.

All abstracts will go through a peer-review by the Scientific Committee. The presenting authors must register and settle the full payment by November 15th. There are some inquiries that Chinese scholars cannot download the template. If so, please write e-mail to the above address, so that the organizers will send the template by e-mail. If they do not register and pay in full, the abstract will be removed from the program.

Submit your filled abstract by e-mail to: ‘mountain2022’ before ‘@aol.com’

Abstract Submission Due on October 31st, 2022

Notification of abstract acceptance By November 5th, 2022

Registration deadline for authors November 15th, 2022

Abstract will be cancelled if the registration payment will not be confirmed by November 15 th

v KEYNOTES

v ORGANIZERS AND PARTNERS

For detail information https://ntb.gov.np/conference/

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Introduction

Study design and methods, case study results, switzerland, toward integration, what is the future for sustainable development and place-based policies in the mountains, open peer review.

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This article considers different governance structures, policies, and strategies that focus on the sustainable development of mountain areas in the European Alpine region and investigates how different countries integrate sustainable development into their mountain policies. Even though mountain areas cover around one third of European land, only a few countries have established place-based policies for their sustainable development. We analyzed 4 cases (Austria, France, Italy, and Switzerland) to reveal extremely diverse systems in terms of policies and actions. Furthermore, we scrutinized the sustainable development governance frameworks in policies directed at mountain areas, comparing national legislation. We also performed 4 semistructured interviews with national experts in mountain governance. Our results show that interacting with different stakeholders is a precondition for place-based sustainable development processes. We conclude by providing evidence-based policy recommendations for the sustainable development of mountain areas.

Mountain areas cover approximately 36% of Europe's area and 29% of the area of the European Union (EU) member states; they host 17% of Europe's population and 13% of the population of the EU's 27 member states ( EEA 2010 ). Europe's mountains hold economic and social significance, offering a diverse array of ecosystem services across spatial scales: their ecosystems are deeply multifunctional, and their benefits extend to both mountain communities and those in the nearby lowland and urban areas ( EEA 2010 ). The primary policy challenge confronting mountain areas revolves around preserving their environment as the “ecological backbone of Europe” (CEEA 1999: 377) while bolstering their economic vitality and social unity and maximizing synergies between highland and lowland regions ( EEA 2010 ). Sustainable development is thus an imperative, because it combines the 3 pillars of economic viability, environmental protection, and social equity. Despite the territorial relevance of Europe's mountain areas, to date, there has been no integrated policy framework at the European level, and, in most cases, national frameworks lack strategies to specifically address sustainable mountain development.

One prominent exception is France: in the 1980s, it began to design legislative instruments targeted at mountain areas ( Castelein and Villeneuve 2006 ), addressing problems such as the aging of residents, depopulation and outmigration to urban centers, the widening socioeconomic gap between cities and small villages, and poor infrastructure and social services ( Carbone 2018 ; Dax 2020 ; European Commission 2020 ).

In this context, place-based policies aim to tackle regional disparities and promote development ( Nordregio 2004 ; Castelein and Villeneuve 2006 ; EEA 2010 ; Mendez 2013 ; Barca 2018 ; Carbone 2018 ). The topic of place-based policies has been at the core of EU action since the publication of the report An Agenda for a Reformed Cohesion Policy ( Barca 2009 ; Mantino and Lucatelli 2016 ; Beer et al 2020 ). Place-based policies combine specific resources and strategies with a multilevel governance approach ( Barca et al 2012 ; Beer et al 2020 ). However, their impact has yet to be fully assessed, especially in mountain areas. Although the correlation between sustainable and place-based development is still unclear, several mountain policy strategies and measures use both concepts and consider them mutually reinforcing (for examples, see Wymann von Dach and Ruiz Peyré 2020 ).

This article explores case studies of 4 European countries (Austria, France, Italy, and Switzerland) that have a significant portion of territory covered by mountains (74, 25, 60, and 94%, respectively; EEA 2010 ). In some cases, these include different mountain ranges (eg France with the Alps and Pyrenees and Italy with the Alps and the Apennines). We consider different governance structures, policies, and strategies that focus on the sustainable development of mountain areas ( EEA 2010 ). Moreover, these countries are all part of the broader Alpine region, which covers 8% of the EU, stretches across 8 countries, and is inhabited by 80 million people in France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Switzerland, Monaco, and Liechtenstein ( Sundseth and Sylwester 2009 ; Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention 2018 ). This is a highly diverse region with complex interactions between rural and mountain areas. More than 14 million people reside in mountain areas, in around 5700 small and medium-sized municipalities, of which more than 75% have fewer than 2500 inhabitants and which together cover an area of almost 200,000 km 2 (P ermanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention 2018 ).

Through desk research, we analyzed the interaction between governance levels and approaches, a characteristic essential to the concept of place-based policies ( Duranton and Venables 2018 ). We investigated how national frameworks and political priorities integrate the notion of sustainable mountain development in the 4 countries. We collected normative acts (laws and ministerial acts) and policy papers (government decisions and policy outlines) from the official governmental databases and repositories. Documents were collected through Internet searches, using keywords in the respective languages or English (law, policy, strategy, mountain, and rural). Only documents outlining policies adopted in the 20th and 21st centuries were analyzed. Documents identified in searches were checked for their direct relevance to mountains or, more widely, to rural areas or for sectoral relevance (eg local development, place-based development, tourism, and agriculture). We analyzed these documents using a content analysis approach. This means that the selected documents were scanned for specific keywords. To begin with, we checked the number of times mountains and sustainable development were mentioned. We examined documents containing those keywords for the presence of other words, meanings, and concepts to disentangle how legislators integrated the concept of sustainable development into legislative acts. In particular, we focused on the contribution to the key pillars of sustainability (ie environmental, social, and economic), socioeconomic sectors, and whether measures were bottom up or top down.

In doing so, we collected evidence of the 4 countries' initiatives for mountains. We analyzed and compared national legislation to find patterns of policy implementation that converged or differed between countries. Then, to validate and complete the findings, we conducted 4 semistructured interviews with 1 national expert on mountain governance per country analyzed. The experts were identified using the Euromontana network and a snowball technique and came from various backgrounds, namely, research in the case of Italy, policy in the case of Switzerland, research and policy in the case of Austria, and the nonprofit sector in the case of France. These informants had unique knowledge of each country case because they had conducted research on policy or worked directly on mountain policies. The interviews were conducted in 2021 and lasted approximately 60 minutes each.

The interviews had 4 main components: (1) history of mountain policies and/or strategies in the country, (2) the expert's views on main weaknesses and strengths, (3) specific clarification questions, and (4) the expert's views on desirable actions and policies for the future. These interviews provided ad hoc validation of our results.

Austria has introduced place-based policies with a multilevel governance approach. The idea behind Austrian policies was that mountain areas “should not be left to manage entirely on their own” but rather require particular and specific attention at the federal level ( Table 1 ; Dax 2001 : 233).

Overview of Austrian policies and strategies referring to mountain areas.

The Austrian government has been implementing governance models with a bottom-up approach to coordinate urban and mountain areas since the 1970s ( OECD 1998 ; Dax 2004 ). Policies for the development of rural and mountain areas embrace multilevel governance and bottom-up strategies with a focus on sustainable development. They recognize that agricultural activities and local actors protect and enhance specific opportunities related to key economic sectors in the mountains ( Dax 2004 ). Federal and local authorities have used European structural funds to integrate regional development initiatives; for example, the Program for Endogenous Regional Development (FER) fund improved farms' access to services. This program embedded the concept of bottom-up development with the concept of sustainable resource use in mountain areas ( Dax 2001 ).

The Austrian Association for Independent Regional Development (ÖAR) has served as a platform between regional consultants and associations for the exchange of ideas, good practices, and initiatives since 1983 ( Dax and Hebertshuber 2002 ). The ÖAR promoted projects to organize regional cooperation independently until 1995, when Austria joined the EU and integrated the FER fund and regional development policies with European structural funds ( Dax 2021 ). In more recent years, cooperative groups, regional development agencies, and local action groups have played a pivotal role in rural and mountain development ( Heintel 2004 ; Dax et al 2016 ; Georgios et al 2021 ). This mostly results from the integration of the Links between the Rural Economy and Development Actions (LEADER) program into rural development programs during the 2007–2013 EU programming period ( Dax et al 2016 ). In 2017, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Regions and Water Management (BML) coordinated with various ministries and authorities at the levels of the federal states and municipalities to promote integrated action for regional cohesion, taking into account diversified mountain economies through the Master Plan for Rural Development ( BML 2017 ). However, the plan had little effect on existing rural development programs.

In the second half of the 20th century, France adopted 2 legislative measures affecting mountains, namely, the Rural Renewal Policy (no. 67-938) and the Pastoral Law (no. 72-12; French Republic 1967 , 1972 ).

Adopted in 1967, the Rural Renewal Policy is part of a series of broader actions aimed at the management and development of rural areas carried out by the Interministerial Delegation for Land Management and Regional Attractiveness. This policy aimed to create opportunities for economic development in regions with demographic or economic imbalances, including mountain areas. Mountain areas were assigned 5 Commissioners for the Management of Massifs. Since 1967, several measures have been initiated to foster economic development, albeit limited mainly to agriculture, through the Rural Renewal Policy. These include a “special allowance for mountain areas,” a law for the enhancement of pastoral activities, a series of “special contracts for mountain areas” between the state and specific regions, measures for the establishment of young farmers, and “special rural aid” for employment ( Barruet 1989 : 330).

Promulgated in January 1972, the Pastoral Law recognizes and supports traditional systems for the collective management of mountain pastures by establishing 3 main measures: pastoral land associations, pastoral groupings, and multiyear grazing agreements ( Eychenne 2012 ; Lorenzi 2013 ). In addition, the Pastoral Law establishes compensation for farmers who contribute to land management in critical zones within mountain areas ( Eychenne 2012 ).

Beyond the measures taken, the distinguishing factor of these policies lies in their contribution to the elaboration of the concept of mountain specificity, defined primarily in terms of the natural handicaps of this territory in comparison to other regional communities. This concept was to be the basis for calling for an ad hoc policy for mountain areas, the inception of which was the 1985 Mountain Law I ( Barruet 1989 ).

In 1985, France was among the first in Europe to develop a legislative framework for mountains, with Mountain Law I (no. 85-30, later replaced by Mountain Law II, no. 2016-1888). This law explicitly referred to mountains “as a group of territories whose equitable and sustainable development is an objective of national interest” ( French Republic 1985 : art. 1). Through the principles of self-development (a dynamic process initiated and managed by mountain communities, with the support of the national authority) and equilibrium (between protected areas and areas exploited by human activities), this law targets better living standards and conditions, social protection, employment, services, and resources comparable to other regions ( Table 2 ; French Republic 1985 ).

Overview of French policies and strategies referring to mountain areas.

The revised version of the French Mountain Law (II, no. 2016-1888) introduced the principles of modernization (of mechanisms and organizations supporting mountain development) and adaptation (of public policies for mountain development), giving greater attention to the needs of mountain inhabitants ( Genevard and Laclais 2015 ; French Republic 2016 ; CGET 2017 ). This law targets governance and cohesion, economy and employment, environment, agriculture, public services, research, and innovation. A few relevant examples include reforming the National Mountain Council, improving the diffusion of information and communications technology, providing medical and educational services, improving conditions of seasonal workers, approving fiscal reforms in agriculture, encouraging return to land that has not been cultivated for more than 40 years, and relaxing measures related to town planning. In 2020, the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion (ANCT) was established. The ANCT hosts the secretariat of the National Mountain Council and relies on Massif Committees as local antennae to facilitate the decentralization of mountain policies and to address the needs of and provide information on the socioeconomic characteristics of mountains ( Broggio 1997 ; French Senate 2002 ; Peneau et al 2010 ; ANCT 2020 ). Since its establishment, the ANCT has launched several programs to promote sustainable mountain development, such as territorial pacts (2020), an investment plan for sustainable and resilient tourism (2021), future mountain plans (2022), and France Ruralit é s ( 2023 ; ANCT 2021a , 2021b ; French Government 2023 ).

The Constitution of the Italian Republic states: “The law shall make provisions in favor of mountainous areas” ( Italian Republic 1947 : art. 44). Law 991/1952 first defined the provisions and delineated mountain areas. The law identified mountain areas with municipalities that combined certain characteristics of elevation (greater than 600 masl for 80% of the territory) or difference in elevation (600-m differential between minimum and maximum elevation of the municipality) and low cadastral income, to which, aside from the orographic and socioeconomic identification criteria, were added municipalities “damaged by war events” and those that “present equal economic-agrarian conditions,” creating a so-called legal mountain area ( Italian Republic 1952 : art. 1). This definition refers to the concept of disadvantaged mountain areas. The resulting welfarist approach led to excessive enlargement of the area subject to intervention, with the inclusion of cities such as Rome. With Law 1102/1971, the Italian state aimed to promote the enhancement of mountain areas by encouraging, through the establishment of Mountain Communities, the participation of local populations in drafting development programs and spatial development plans for the respective mountain districts ( Italian Republic 1971 ). Subsequently, Law 97/1994 designed differentiated actions for mountain development with a focus on Mountain Communities and regional authorities ( Table 3 ; Italian Republic 1994 ). Since the late 1990s, relevant legislation has been regionalized in consideration of constitutional changes (reform of Title V, Part II; Italian Republic 2001 ). To date, however, the area of Italian intervention has varied because of the repeal of the article defining the legal mountain area within Law 991/1952.

Overview of Italian policies and strategies referring to mountain areas.

Strategies and policies with a place-based approach at the national level have been promoted in the last decades. A primary example is the establishment of the National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI) in 2015 ( Barca et al 2014 ). However, the SNAI has primarily focused on the social sustainability of peripheral and mountain areas without considering the environmental pillar of sustainability. In 2015, the National Strategy for Green Communities was approved ( Italian Republic 2015 ). The strategy focused on rural communities capable of management for the public good using an integrated approach, embedding all pillars of sustainable development. The strategy also promotes subsidiary relationships and alliances between urban and rural areas. In 2020, the strategy was promoted as a strategic action to be implemented through funds from the national Next Generation EU National Recovery and Resilience Plan ( Italian Republic 2021b ). This is the only example in Italy of an integrated strategy encompassing sustainable development of mountain areas. However, the concept of cocreation and bottom-up involvement of local actors is missing.

In 2021, 48 experts formed the National Scientific Technical Table for Mountain Areas to support the definition of a National Strategy for Mountain Areas and revise the existing legislation. In 2022, the government approved a legislative plan containing provisions for the development and enhancement of mountain areas and established the Fund for the Development of Italian Mountains that promotes the protection and development of mountain areas and topics such as entrepreneurship and tourism ( Italian Republic 2021a ). The measure introduces organic actions that encourage economic and sustainable development to limit depopulation and reduce the disadvantages of mountain municipalities. In February 2024, the Council of Ministers approved a new mountain bill titled “Provisions for the development and enhancement of mountain areas” (commonly called the DDL Montagna; Senate of the Italian Republic 2024 ). This bill aims to recognize and promote sustainable development of mountain areas, which have been declared to be of strategic importance for the country, and seeks to help overcome the economic and social imbalances of mountain areas through measures that ensure their promotion, sustainable development, and protection of their peculiarities. The DDL Montagna promotes necessary regulatory reorganization by introducing a wide-ranging law implementing article 44, paragraph 2 of the Constitution, which also helps to address the legislative problem mentioned earlier concerning the definition of mountain municipalities. The DDL Montagna also envisages the definition of a Strategy for Italian Mountains that would define priorities and policy directives specifically for mountain areas, promoting their growth and socioeconomic development. The measure, having passed the scrutiny of the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces, has begun its approval process in the Italian parliament.

Switzerland issued the Federal Law on Investment Aid for Mountain Areas in 1974 and replaced this in 2008 with the New Regional Policy, which defines a list of mountain areas in the confederation ( Swiss Confederation 1974 ; Regiosuisse 2017 ). In 1992, with the reform of the federal law dealing with agriculture, payment schemes to Swiss hill and mountain areas were implemented ( Curry 1996 ; Giuliani 2009 ). The specifics of mountain areas were later inserted in the Federal Act on Agriculture of 1998 ( Swiss Confederation 1998 ). The federal constitution has recognized the importance of mountains since the 1999 revision, with article 50 mentioning that the confederation “shall take account of the special position of [. . .] the mountain regions” ( Table 4 ; Swiss Confederation 1999 ). Federal and cantonal authorities promoted processes such as the Swiss Spatial Project of 2012, a strategy aiming to “preserve the diversity of spaces, solidarity between different regions and population groups, and the country's competitiveness at the international level” ( Federal Council et al 2012 : 12). The Spatial Strategy for Alpine Areas in Switzerland was promoted by the mountain cantons in 2014 with regard to common tasks of sustainable spatial development ( CGCA 2014 ).

Overview of Swiss policies and strategies referring to mountain areas.

A coordination strategy has promoted links between all levels of governance and the identification of long-term sustainable development objectives since 2015. The strategy was elaborated under the mandate of the Maissen motion of 2011 (11.3927), which introduced the goal of coordinating the sectoral policies of the confederation (Swiss Parliament n.d.; ARE 2014 ). The resulting Federal Policy for Rural Areas and Mountain Regions (PERM; Federal Council 2015a ) complements the confederation's Agglomeration Policy 2016+ (AggloPol; Federal Council 2015b ) and integrates the Spatial Strategy for Alpine Areas in Switzerland and the Swiss Spatial Project ( ARE 2014 ; SECO 2014 ). These policies are supplemented by important measures promoting cohesive spatial development, such as the Federal Law Concerning Fiscal Equalization and Cost Compensation ( Swiss Confederation 2003 ) and public service provisions.

The Swiss government identified the main challenges that mountain areas are facing to promote integrated actions for sustainable development ( Federal Council 2015a ). PERM is a cross-sectoral, complementary, and innovative policy that coordinates the various sectoral policies ( Federal Council 2015a ). Coordination and a constant dialogue with different governing bodies within a multilevel governance approach is essential in the implementation of PERM, which sees the New Regional Policy as an important funding instrument for developing new pilot schemes for mountain areas (eg the “New Regional Policy pilot measures in mountain areas”; Regiosuisse 2017 ). The Federal Parliament adopted a new motion (no. 19.3731) in 2021, asking the Federal Council to develop a cross-sectoral action plan for the implementation of PERM ( Swiss Parliament 2019 ). PERM had mentioned in its plan the necessity of a close monitoring process involving all actors to understand whether the measures implemented would respond to the specific spatial challenges ( Federal Council 2015a ). This evaluation and monitoring process took place in 2022 and was followed by a definition of priorities for the 2024+ strategy concerning PERM and AggloPol, underlining the need for even greater coordination and complementarity between the two strategies ( Infras 2022 ; Federal Council 2024 ).

This study gives a composite and diverse picture of policies and strategies to promote sustainable development in mountain areas in the countries analyzed. The measures adopted in terms of legislation and governance reflect the differences in the governance systems of each country. However, different methods and approaches—sometimes translated into laws, systemic strategies, administrative interventions, and governance structures—underline that the selected countries have all attempted to address sustainable mountain development. In most cases, place-based approaches were viewed as a key element to successfully implement regional policies. However, these attempts were implemented with varying degrees of institutional interventions and were affected by the effectiveness and ability to engage with local stakeholders of the involved governance structures—a precondition to improve the overall sustainability and livelihood of geographically complex areas, such as mountain areas ( Tucker et al 2021 ). This is indeed the precondition of place-based policies, which should aim to provide a clear framework in which to promote connection with indigenous local knowledge for coherent and sustainable development ( Barca 2009 , 2018 ; Barca et al 2012 ; Beer et al 2020 ; Lam et al 2020 ). Overall, the 4 countries used different approaches. Some insisted on the adoption of integrated strategies that encompass a systemic vision, whereas others employed sectoral measures to fight population shrinkage and promote the vitality of remote areas ( Table 5 ).

Overview of national strategies and intervention priorities for mountain areas.

France emerges as having one of the most developed legislative frameworks for mountain areas, integrating measures across areas of intervention with a holistic approach (eg economic development, research and innovation, agriculture, and tourism). The French model underlines that the implementation of a strategy must happen in coordination with local actors and focus on the establishment of specific governance structures (eg National Mountain Council and Massif Committees). This indicates how a multilevel approach, which entails coordination with local actors, is key in designing and implementing for mountain areas specific policies that have an impact on the ground. Switzerland attempted to implement a multilevel and multisector coordination mechanism capable of assessing long-term objectives and interacting with both public and private actors to identify strategic projects for development. The same has been attempted in Italy with the implementation of the SNAI. However, this did not exclusively target mountain areas, mostly because of the general lack of a framework of reference in the Italian legislation but also because of a more general definition of inner area focusing on the social aspects while failing to address the environmental pillar of sustainable development. If the DDL Montagna is approved, this gap in the legislative framework will be addressed by establishing a new definition of mountain areas. Austria emphasizes the role of regional development through a bottom-up approach. This approach of multiactor involvement has proved essential for the activation of projects in line with the specific needs of the regions and their inhabitants. The strategy of identifying regional needs matches EU place-based policies (eg the Cohesion Policy and the LEADER and community-led local development approach) and is a key element in empowering bodies that lack human capital. Austria represents an example of good practice in the use of European funds.

The political push, especially in countries like Italy, toward the integration of place-based strategies for sustainable development in the mountains recognizes that it is necessary to act through place-based approaches and promote a new regional development paradigm. Place-based policies require integration of the regional dimension to be coherent, sustained, and supported by local actors. This dimension can be taken into account both by means of an integrated and multisectoral policy, such as in France and Switzerland, and by means of a concrete coordination effort, such as in Austria and its federal states.

Place-based policies promoting sustainable development of mountain areas require interaction and communication among different stakeholders and different governance levels, and they must establish strategic alliances between institutions of different regions or countries to align local needs, challenges, and opportunities to the policy level ( Debarbieux et al 2015 ; Price 2010 ; Beer et al 2020 ; Dax 2020 ). These tasks are not easy and require prolonged political effort, but they are essential to facilitate the increase in knowledge and awareness required to create a new and modern vision for the future of mountain areas. Clearly, this can happen if mountain development becomes central on policy agendas in the EU, where the debate is still lacking the impetus for a coherent EU strategy on the long-term sustainable development of mountain areas, as mentioned in a European Parliament resolution of 2016 ( European Parliament et al 2016 ). A new vision for mountain areas can be implemented to the extent that they become the recipients of investments for growth, rather than subsidies for support to buffer negative phenomena and trends, with consequent benefits for society as a whole.

Our case-based analysis led us to formulate the following 5 recommendations for policymakers seeking to support the sustainable development of mountain areas:

Promote a clear definition of mountain areas at the policy level—as in the French case—to delineate the areas that will benefit from the policies, as well as the key stakeholders.

Promote place-based, cross-sectoral, and multilevel governance practices involving different ministries and local stakeholders in a bottom-up process of signaling regional needs to increase the participation in implemented policies.

Facilitate access to and coordination of existing funds at the local level—as in the Austrian and Swiss case studies—to maximize the effects.

Implement cross-sectoral policies capable of aiding the diversification of local economies, ensuring their contribution to socially fair and environmentally just development.

Establish a monitoring framework—such as the one envisioned within the Swiss PERM—to constantly evaluate the impacts of the policies on different sectors.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by local governance bodies, such as Edolo Municipality, Consorzio dei Comuni BIM di Valle Camonica, Province of Brescia, Unione dei Comuni Alpi Orobie Bresciane, and Comunità Montana di Valcamonica, as well as, in the last years, by the Montagne: Living Labs project, financed by the Italian Ministry for University and Research.

This open access article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). Please credit the authors and the full source.

This article was reviewed by Ingrid Machold and Thomas Egger. The peer review process for all MountainAgenda articles is open. In shaping target knowledge, values are explicitly at stake. The open review process offers authors and reviewers the opportunity to engage in a discussion about these values.

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Exploring sustainable development goal research trajectories in small island developing states.

1. Introduction

First, by employing a mixed methods research design [ 25 ] that combines quantitative scientometric analysis with qualitative case studies, we examine the nexus between SIDS research and its contribution to SDGs. Exclusive reliance on literature reviews typically does not suffice to fully grasp the intricate dimensions of real-world applications, particularly in interdisciplinary areas such as sustainable development. Consequently, the adoption of a mixed methods approach in this research significantly strengthens the analysis by connecting theoretical frameworks with empirical case studies.
Second, our research is the first to map (RQ1) and investigate the interdisciplinarity of SIDS research (RQ2) through the lens of the SDG framework. It employs innovative machine learning algorithms designed to map publications more accurately to the 17 SDGs, enhancing our ability to identify SDG-related research.
Third, we adopted a proven scientometric keyword co-occurrence strategy to identify and map the prevailing themes within the field (RQ3).
Fourth, we examined case studies that demonstrated the intricate connections between environmental sustainability, economic development, and social well-being (RQ4).
Finally, we take a systematic approach by applying the prominence percentile metric, which evaluates both research productivity (number of publications) and research influence (citations) to pinpoint and examine promising directions for future research.

2.1. PRISMA Framework

2.2. sdg mapping framework, 3.1. mapping sids research to sdgs (rq1), 3.2. interdisciplinarity of sids research (rq1), 3.3. thematic clusters of sids research and their sdg mappings (rq2), 3.3.1. environmental challenges and adaptation in sidss (cluster 1, red).

Citations	Author	SDG Focus
252	Singh, G. G. et al. (2018) [ ]
251	Silver, J. J. et al., (2015) [ ]
243	Shah, K. U et al., (2013) [ ]

3.3.2. Public Health, Food Security, and Socioeconomic Development in SIDSs (Cluster 2, Green)

3.3.3. energy policy and environmental economics in sidss (cluster 3, blue), 3.4. case studies of sidss and their sdg focus (rq3), 4. discussion on future research directions (rq4), 4.1. combatting plastic pollution in aquatic environments, 4.2. harmonizing cultural values with environmental conservation, 4.3. boosting climate resilience with carbon reduction, 4.4. innovative climate adaptation measures for urban areas, 4.5. advancing sustainable energy solutions in sidss, 4.6. promoting sustainable tourism for eco-conservation, 4.7. fostering action on climate change, 4.8. optimizing solid waste reduction and recycling, 4.9. empowering communities for ecological and social resilience, 4.10. fostering renewable and accessible energy for all, 5. recommendations, 6. conclusions, author contributions, institutional review board statement, informed consent statement, data availability statement, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

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Click here to enlarge figure

Publications	Citations	SDG
528	8117
408	5220
364	5077
248	3455
206	2864
174	2004
143	1318
133	1860
128	1091
122	995
112	1536
111	1884
92	1341
74	1033
68	430
27	282

Author	SDG Focus
Verschuur et al. (2021) [ ]
Gibson et al. (2022) [ ]
Nunn and Kumar (2018) [ ]

Citations	Author	SDG Focus
137	Mohee et al. (2015) [ ]
123	Kang, J.-N. et al. (2020) [ ]
62	Timilsina and Shah (2016) [ ]

Country	Paper Title	SDG Focus	Authors
Maldives	The challenge of sustainable tourism development in the Maldives: Understanding the social and political dimensions of sustainability. Asia-Pacific Viewpoint	Sustainable tourism in the Maldives	Scheyvens (2011) [ ]
Solomon Islands	A Cultural Landscape Approach to Community-Based Conservation in Solomon Islands. Ecology and Society	Conserving biodiversity through community-based conservation projects	Walter and Hamilton (2014) [ ]
Barbados	Sustainable Use of the Littoral by Traditional People of Barbados and Bahamas.	Promotion of sustainability in coastal areas	Stoffle et al. (2020) [ ]
Samoa	Quantifying the trade-off between percentage of renewable supply and affordability in Pacific island countries: Case study of Samoa. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews	Renewable energy transition	Vaiaso and Jack (2021) [ ]
Vanuatu	Integrating music and sound into efforts to advance the sustainable development goals in the Asia-Pacific: case studies from Indonesia, Vanuatu and Australia, International Journal of Cultural Policy	Using music and sound to implement the SDGs	Grant et al. (2022) [ ]
Fiji	Tourism partnerships: localizing the SDG agenda in Fiji, Journal of Sustainable Tourism	Catalyzing partnerships in Fiji	Movono and Hughes (2020) [ ]
Seychelles	Oceans justice: Trade-offs between Sustainable Development Goals in the Seychelles. Marine Policy	Conserve and sustainably use marine resources	Baker and Constant (2023) [ ]

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Raman, R.; Leal Filho, W.; Martin, H.; Ray, S.; Das, D.; Nedungadi, P. Exploring Sustainable Development Goal Research Trajectories in Small Island Developing States. Sustainability 2024 , 16 , 7463. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177463

Raman R, Leal Filho W, Martin H, Ray S, Das D, Nedungadi P. Exploring Sustainable Development Goal Research Trajectories in Small Island Developing States. Sustainability . 2024; 16(17):7463. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177463

Raman, Raghu, Walter Leal Filho, Hector Martin, Suparna Ray, Dayana Das, and Prema Nedungadi. 2024. "Exploring Sustainable Development Goal Research Trajectories in Small Island Developing States" Sustainability 16, no. 17: 7463. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177463

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International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development 2022
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