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IPROMO welcomes 38 new graduates to its alumni network

09.10.2020

The thirteenth annual IPROMO training course came to a close today after two weeks of intense online lectures and discussion dedicated to sustainable mountain development. The 38 officers and experts from 21 countries that participated will each receive a diploma and 40 credit hours.

The theme of this year's course was “Mountains in a changing climate: Threats, challenges and opportunities,“ a follow up to the 2012 theme “Understanding and Adapting to Climate Change in Mountain Areas.” Eight years later, the course assessed how mountain communities have changed the ways in which they are dealing with the impacts of climate change.

IPROMO 2020 also focused on several aspects, tools and skills that contribute to the integrated management of mountain areas through the many lenses of climate change. It covered topics such as environmental conservation, watershed management, mountain forests, soils and biodiversity, poverty reduction, food security and also mountain policy and sustainable tourism.

"Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, IPROMO 2020 was an online course. Therefore, for the first time since 2008, the summer school was not hosted in a mountain village in the Alps, but in a virtual classroom," explained Michele Freppaz, professor at the University of Turin. "However, the lectures were carefully followed by the students, with lively discussions that added character to the course thanks to the multidisciplinary expertise of the attending participants."

Many students found the course's contents beneficial to their work and will be using the new skills they gained in their projects and research.

Participant Kika Bradford, Executive Director of Acceso PanAm, stated, "Climbers and mountaineers are first-hand witnesses of climate change in mountains. Raising awareness, finding collaborative solutions and driving pro-climate actions among mountain recreationists are the goals of Acceso PanAm's climate programme. Having been able to take part in IPROMO will contribute to strengthening the programme by providing updated and trustworthy information and allowing us to improve community engagement and actions."

Loupa Pius, Project Coordinator at the Dynamic Agro-Pastoralist Development Organization, said, "The most interesting thing that I have learnt during IPROMO is that soils store more carbon than trees and forests. For this reason, grasslands and rangelands are global carbon sinks that need to be managed and protected. As a practitioner working with pastoralists on rangeland resource management, I will integrate this knowledge into the arid landscape initiative, directing tree planting where necessary in the Karamoja rangeland landscape."

"I feel very privileged to be part of this amazing group of people from different countries, with different professional backgrounds and a shared interest in mountains, climate change and the environment," said participant Carmen Arias. "As a Peruvian and a diplomat, I feel the responsibility to work for their sustainable management because mountains contribute to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement."

IPROMO is jointly organized by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, the University of Turin, Italy, and the University of Tuscia, Italy, with the high patronage of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The course was chaired by Danilo Godone of the National Research Council – Research Institute for Hydrogeological Prevention and Protection, a new member of the Mountain Partnership.

Learn more about IPROMO 2020
Learn about the partnership with the University of Turin

Photo by Colin Bell