The BeyondIceFutures synthesis workshop will bring together interdisciplinary scientists working on recently deglaciated landscapes to explore how these rapidly emerging environments can develop into positive futures for nature and people.

As glaciers retreat worldwide, glacier forelands and other proglacial landscapes are expanding quickly. These newly ice-free areas hold significant potential for biodiversity, ecosystem development, and human use, yet key scientific and societal questions remain unresolved.

This workshop, organized within the BeyondIceFutures project funded by the Mountain Research Initiative, will synthesize results from a global survey of scientists working in recently deglaciated landscapes. Participants will collaboratively identify major knowledge gaps, discuss nature’s contributions to people (NCPs), and develop interdisciplinary perspectives on future research and management of proglacial environments.

Workshop outcomes will contribute to a peer-reviewed synthesis paper and a brochure for stakeholders, practitioners, and policymakers.

The workshop will be held 1–3 October 2026 at Innsbruck University’s University Center Obergurgl in the Austrian Alps. Travel support will be available for up to 10 selected participants that participated in the BeyondIceFutures survey in March 2026. Selected sessions will also be accessible online.

For more information, please contact Jana Eichel: j.eichel(at)uu.nl