The theme of the Caucasus Mountain Forum 2021 will be perspectives and challenges of tourism development in the region. Abstract submission deadline is 15 June 2021.
The Caucasus Mountain Forum (CMF) is a flagship initiative of the Scientific Network for Caucasus Mountain Regions (SNC-mt). The regional context of the Caucasus provides a major motivation for organizing biannual regional forums for different stakeholders working on the Caucasus mountain region.
Designed to be a meeting place for scientists, policymakers, and practitioners from the Caucasus region and beyond, the third Caucasus Mountain Forum (CMF3) follows in the footsteps of CMF1 (2016) and CMF2 (2019) as a crucial opportunity for constructive interaction between scientists, governmental experts, and practitioners; with debate on opportunities and challenges and contributions to the improved coordination of sustainable development in the Caucasus region.
Transdisciplinarity for Sustainable Tourism Development
The theme of CMF3 will be perspectives and challenges of tourism development in the region, which was identified as one of the hottest issues by the Caucasus Regional Research Agenda (C-RRA) adopted by CMF2 in Ankara in 2019. In particular, the presentations and discussions of CMF2 determined that tourism, even with both positive and negative impacts on nature, local communities, and economies, plays the most important role in the Caucasus mountain regions’ socio-economic promotion.
The tourism sector constituted from 3 to 15 percent of the GDP of the Caucasus Ecoregion countries in 2019. Tourism development is interlinked with a number of other economic sectors such as agriculture, transport, infrastructure, construction, energy, and, in general, socio-economic development and planning. The tourism sector also embraces different aspects of historical heritage and cultural diversity, environmental and ecosystem protection, climate change, and water management.
The CMF3, the Third Caucasus Mountain Forum (2021) will be organized in September 2021 in Kutaisi, Georgia under the title ‘Transdisciplinarity for Sustainable Tourism Development: Role of Caucasus Scientists.’
While the focus will be on tourism, CMF3 will also discuss the other chapters of the Caucasus Regional Research Agenda (C-RRA):
- Climate Change
- Biodiversity
- Forest Resources
- Water Resources
- Land Use (including Pasture Management)
- Natural Hazards
- Population and Cultural Diversity
- Socio-economic Development and Planning
- Mountain Cryosphere
More information on the programme and objectives of the third Caucasus Mountain Forum can be found here.
Submit your abstract
CMF3 will offer a combination of plenary sessions open to the public, research sessions, workshops, and poster sessions. The organisers invite participants to choose among the following types of contributions:
- Abstracts for oral presentation in research sessions (max 300 words + 5 keywords). Research sessions provide academic researchers a chance to present and discuss their latest scientific findings. Researchers from non-academic settings (NGOs, government, private sector) are also invited.
- Abstracts for a practical example in a workshop (max. 300 words). The purpose of the workshops is to stimulate discussion and exchange between practitioners and scientists. Practical examples in policy advocacy; scientific networking; leveraging spatial data education for sustainable development, natural hazards, and disaster risk reduction are expected. As a consequence, workshop presentations are expected to be short, focusing on practical insights from development projects, policy initiatives, or teaching practice.
- Abstracts for a poster presentation (max. 200 words). Posters will be displayed in a prominent area. Poster presenters will attend two dedicated poster sessions. The size of the posters should not exceed A0 format (84 cm x 119 cm). One-page handouts will be available. The prize for the best poster will be awarded during the closing session.
Abstract submission deadline: 15 June 2021
Deadline for the notification of abstract acceptance: 7 July 2021
Abstracts to be submitted in English only to CMF2021@caucasus-mt.net using the Abstract Submission Form
Scholarships will be available primarily for participants from the region.
Cover image by Pixabay user JLB1988.
