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IPROMO participants launch international cooperation for mountain research

07.06.2022

Two research institutes, in India and Italy, have launched an international cooperation for mountain research after representatives of the institutes participated in the Mountain Partnership Secretariat's annual training programme IPROMO.

The Mountain Partnership Secretariat, together with the University of Turin and the University of Tuscia, has been organizing IPROMO annually since 2008. Over 380 officers and experts from all over the world have been trained to date, and the IPROMO alumni network allows participants and instructors to maintain their connection and continue sharing information after the course ends.

The objective of the cooperation between the Industrial Research – National Environmental Engineering Research Institute in India and the National Research Council – Research Institute for Hydrogeological Prevention and Protection in Italy is to exchange ideas and methods concerning research on geo-hydrological hazards in mountain areas.

Shalini Dhyani, IPROMO alumna and representative of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute in India, said, "I work in the Western Himalayas where the risk of landslides is severe, especially during the rainy season from June to September every year when cloud bursts are strong, resulting in the loss of ecosystem services and human lives."

The first step in the cooperation will be the launch of a special issue of MDPI's Geosciences journal titled "Geo-Hydrological Risks Management, Volume II". Danilo Godone, IPROMO 2021 chairman and research at the Research Institute for Hydrogeological Prevention and Protection in Italy, states, "The issue aims to gather high-quality original research articles and technical notes on the use of applied geosciences for geo-hydrological risk management." The deadline for manuscript submissions is 31 December 2022.

A formal agreement to strengthen the bond between the two institutes is being prepared. This will lay the foundation for a more structured partnership to allow for joint activities such as projects and publications.

The next edition of IPROMO will be held on 27 June - 11 July 2022 in person in Pieve Tesino and Ormea, Italy for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2021, a Spanish-language edition of IPROMO is also being organized with the support of CONDESAN.

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Photo: Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash