Synthesis and Scoping Workshops

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

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

Read more | Workshop details

2021-22

17-23 July 2022 | Kochel am See, Bayern, Germany | Organizers: Nishtha PrakashJohanna 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.

Read more | Workshop details

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) | Workshop details

2020-21

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.

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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
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  • 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: news story and publication

2019

13 September 2019 | Innsbruck, Austria | Organizers: Tobias Luthe, Romano Wyss

Aim: The development of the 2021/2022 Mountain Resilience Report.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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2017

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.

Workshop details

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 Biologyhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.14618.

Read more | Workshop details

2012

11-14 September 2012 | Emmental, Switzerland | Organizers: Adrienne Grêt-Regamey, Sandra Lavorel, and Ariane Walz

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.

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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.

Cover image by Garrett Sears