The MRI provides funding contributions for synthesis workshops that bring together global change researchers to connect and address specific topics of interest to the mountain research community. Expected outputs of these workshops can include articles for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals or the compilation of relevant data into publishable databases or datasets, among others.
These synthesis workshops are selected following an evaluation of submissions received via open calls for proposals, which must align with the MRI’s guiding principles on engagement and collaboration and contribute to the MRI objectives and vision.
For more information on the MRI Synthesis Workshops funding contributions, check the General Eligibility and Funding Conditions, and follow the MRI news for updates on future calls.
MRI-Funded Synthesis Workshops 2012 to Present
2022-23
Cryosphere-groundwater Interactions: a Missing Link in Mountain Water Research
23 April 2023 | Vienna, Austria | Organizers: Marit van Tiel (ETH Zürich–VAW), Caroline Aubry-Wake (Utrecht University), Lauren Somers (Dalhousie University)
Aim: to bring together the mountain water and cryosphere research communities to explore cryosphere-groundwater interactions at various spatial and temporal scales.
2021-22
Mapping mountain vegetation from above using very-high-resolution remote sensing: Challenges in global data access and image classification
17-23 July 2022 | Kochel am See, Bayern, Germany | Organizers: Nishtha Prakash, Johanna Toivonen de Gonzales, and Maaike Bader (Philipps University, Marburg, Germany).
Aim: The workshop will seek to address two specific challenges that the use of EO prospects face: the availability of and access to these data, and the analysis of the images in terms of recognising and delineating specific and diverse vegetation types. The workshop is expected to make contributions to the Global Network for Observations and Information in Mountain Environments (GEO Mountains), whilst also fostering a community-of-practice and building capacity and expertise in the use of EO resources for application in mountain-specific settings and knowledge needs.
Building a regional network to study carbon dynamics in cushion peatlands along the Andes
10 - 14 October 2022 | Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia and Online | Organizers: Mary Carolina García Lino (University of Halle, Germany & Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Bolivia), Alejandra Domic (Pennsylvania State University, USA), Isabell Hensen (University of Halle, Germany), and Arely N. Palabral Aguilera (Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Bolivia).
Aim: to develop a standardized methodology to study the C dynamics of these peatlands in a globally-relevant, comparable, and feasible way, whilst also engaging with social scientists and humanities experts and local practitioners to look at the broader social context in which conservation and management practices also play a role on these C dynamics. Furthermore, the network will seek to provide pertinent inputs to the monitoring practices needed to inform conservation and the restoration efforts of these ecosystems.
Read more – news story and blog post
2020-21
Renewable Energy Transitions: A Comparative Assessment of the Hindu Kush Himalaya, Andes, and Alps
7-9 April 2021 | Online | Organizers: Christopher Scott, Chi Huyen Truong
Aim: To synthesize current understanding and address future challenges related to energy transitions in mountain regions with an emphasis on renewable energy in the context of climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalaya, Andes, and Alps.
Transformative Adaptation to Climate Change in African Mountains
2020-2022 | Fieldwork and Case Studies| Organizers: Aida Cuni-Sanchez, Noelia Zafra Calvo, and Beth Kaplin
Aim: To synthesize climate change adaptation strategies used in African mountain systems as well as to identify barriers and enabling factors that affect transformative adaptation to climatic changes in African mountains.
Outputs:
- Cuni-Sanchez, A., I. Twinomuhangi, A. Berta Aneseyee, B. Mwangi, L. Olaka, R. Bitariho, T. Soromessa, B. Castro, and N. Zafra-Calvo. 2022. Everyday adaptation practices by coffee farmers in three mountain regions in Africa. Ecology and Society 27(4):32. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-13622-270432
Read more
- Nkurunziza, A.; Intwarinkase Mutaganzwa, D.; Ndayitwayeko, W.M.; Nkengurutse, J.; Kaplin, B.A.; Teixidor Toneu, I.; Zafra-Calvo, N.; Cuni-Sanchez, A. Local Observations of Climate Change and Adaptation Responses: A Case Study in the Mountain Region of Burundi-Rwanda. Land 2023, 12, 329. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020329
Read more
2019
Towards a Mountain Resilience Report: Regenerating Mountain Systems by Systemic Innovation
13 September 2019 | Innsbruck, Austria | Organizers: Tobias Luthe, Romano Wyss
Aim: The development of the 2021/2022 Mountain Resilience Report
Contribution of Long-Term Social-Ecological Research Programs in mountains to global policy agendas and UN Conventions
1-4 October 2019 | Champex-Lac, Switzerland | Organizers: Christoph Randin, Davnah Payne
Aim: To deliver a synthesis of how mountain LTSER currently support global policy agendas and UN conventions, and how their contribution could be improved and strengthened in the future.
Transformative Change as a Response to Climate Change in Mountain Social-Ecological Systems
2-3 September 2019 | Organizers: Ignacio Palomo, Sandra Lavorel, and Bruno Locatelli
Aim: To synthesize the information on climate change related Nature Based Solutions (NBS) in mountains, and evaluate their potential to produce transformative change.
WEATHER: a scientific approach in Water sEcurity and climATe cHange adaptation in pEruvian glacieRs
16-17 August 2019 | Lima, Peru | Organizers: Jorge Abad Cueva, Pedro Rau Lavado, Duncan Quincey, and Wouter Buytaert
Aim: To provide input into the formulation of a national policy for glaciers and mountain ecosystems in Peru, in collaboration with INAIGEM and the Peruvian Ministry of Environment, and building further links between the private sector and academia.
2017
Alpine-treeline Spatial Pattern as an Indicator for Climate Change Responses: Laying the Theoretical Foundation for a Global Treeline Monitoring Network
31 August - 5 September 2017 | Jaca, Spain | Organizers: Maaike Bader
Aim: To discuss how global variation in spatial patterns at treelines from the subarctic to the tropics can be captured, quantified, and used to predict dynamics at different treeline sites.
Land Use/Cover Change in the Tropical Andes During the 21st Century: Patterns, Drivers, Future Scenarios, and Research Agenda
27-29 September 2017 | Quito, Ecuador | Organizer: Ricardo Grau
Aim: To explore patterns, future scenarios, and research agendas related to land cover and land use change in the Tropical Andes, culminating in this article 'Woody Vegetation Dynamics in the Tropical and Subtropical Andes from 2001 to 2014: Satellite Image Interpretation and Expert Validation' published in Global Change Biology: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14618
2012
Qualities, Vulnerabilities, and Management of Ecosystem Services in Mountain Regions Worldwide
11-14 September 2012 | Emmental, Switzerland | Organizers: Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, Sandra Lavorel, and Ariane Walz
Building Resilience of Mountain Social-Ecological Systems to Global Change
20-25 May 2012 | Estes Park, Colorado, USA | Organizer: Julia Klein
Outputs: Klein, J.A. et al. "Catalyzing Transformations to Sustainability in the World's Mountains." Earth's Future (2019): https://doi.org/10.1029/2018EF001024Klein, J.A. et al. "An integrated community and ecosystem-based approach to disaster risk reduction in mountain systems." Environmental Science & Policy (2019):https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2018.12.034
Supported By
MRI's financial contribution support for synthesis workshops in 2019-2023 is made available thanks to the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) and the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Principality of Liechtenstein.
