Glaciers around the world are retreating at unprecedented rates. As the ice pulls back, entirely new landscapes are emerging in its wake. These recently deglaciated areas are among the youngest ecosystems on Earth – dynamic, rapidly evolving, and full of unanswered scientific questions.
The BeyondIceFutures project invites scientists working in proglacial and recently deglaciated environments to help shape the future narratives of these changing regions by participating in a short global survey.
From Disappearing Ice to Emerging Possibilities
As glacier retreat becomes unavoidable in many mountain ranges worldwide, the landscapes left behind present both challenges and opportunities. These environments may support new biodiversity, provide ecosystem services for mountain communities, and become sites of future land use and conservation. Yet many key questions remain unanswered.
How do these ecosystems develop?
What benefits can they provide for people and nature?
And how can we guide their development towards positive outcomes?
Answering these questions requires perspectives from across disciplines.
A Collaborative Effort Across the Scientific Community
The BeyondIceFutures project brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers working on mountain landscapes and environmental change:
- Jana Eichel (Utrecht University).
- Anaïs Zimmer (French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development, IRD).
- Arnaud Temme (University of Innsbruck).
- Michele Freppaz (University of Turin).
Funded as a synthesis activity by the Mountain Research Initiative, the project connects scientists, stakeholders, and practitioners to identify knowledge gaps, explore nature’s contributions to people (NCPs), and develop attractive visions for sustainable futures in newly ice-free landscapes.
Pictured: The Lys glacier, located on the southern side of the Monte Rosa massif in the Alps. The photo on the left was captured in 1920 (image credit: Archivio Monterin) and the photo on the right in 2020 (image credit: Arnold Welf), illustrating the significant change in the landscape over 100 years.
As a first step, the team has launched a short global survey for scientists working in recently deglaciated landscapes. Researchers from a wide range of disciplines are encouraged to participate, including biology, climatology, ecology, environmental science, geomorphology, glaciology, hydrology, soil science, political ecology, and related fields.
The survey aims to identify key knowledge gaps and emerging research priorities from the scientific community. Participants are also welcome to become more involved in the project, including contributing to data analysis and publications.
Join the Conversation in the Austrian Alps
The survey will feed directly into a BeyondIceFutures synthesis workshop to be held 1–3 October 2026 at Innsbruck University’s University Center Obergurgl in the Austrian Alps. Travel support will be available for at least ten scientists who complete the survey in order to enable their participation in the workshop. Selected sessions will also be accessible online.
The results of the survey and workshop will contribute to:
- A peer-reviewed synthesis paper.
- A practical brochure for stakeholders, practitioners, and policymakers.
- New interdisciplinary collaborations on proglacial landscapes.
Add Your Voice
The survey takes just 5–10 minutes, and your perspective can help define the research agenda for landscapes beyond ice. Join this unique opportunity to help shape how these important mountain environments, and the narratives around them, develop in the decades ahead.
Survey deadline is 31 March 2026.
Cover image by Anil Baki Durmus.