News

Mountain science community gathers in Perth

15.10.2015

More than 400 scientists, researchers and practitioners from across the global came to Perth, Scotland on 4-8 October 2015 to attend the largest scientific conference on mountains. The four-day international conference, structured around three research themes, featured 45 sessions and eight roundtables on interdisciplinary themes ranging from socio-ecological changes to governance issues in mountain regions in the world.

Organized by Mountain Partnership members: the Centre for Mountain Studies at Perth College, University of the Highlands & Islands, in collaboration with the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) and the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA), the international conference entitled Perth III Conference: "Mountains of Our Future Earth" bought together scientists from around 60 countries to present the latest scientific knowledge on global changes in mountain regions. Structured around research themes of the Future Earth research initiative: Dynamic Planet, Global Sustainable Development andTransformations towards Sustainability, the research presentation sessions and roundtable discussions addressed a wide range of topics related to global environmental changes and supporting transformation towards sustainability in mountains.

Thomas Hofer, Coordinator of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, moderated a roundtable discussion on policy venues for mountain regions. The roundtable participants discussed the advocacy efforts of the Mountain Partnership during Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) formulation and negotiation process, which resulted in three mountain-related targets under two goals. Participants deliberated strengthening the mountain agenda in global policy avenues, such as United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties.

“The quality and diversity of mountain research activities presented at Perth and the many young scientists involved are very impressive. Particular efforts are now required to translate the many research results into key messages for policy makers,” Hofer said, summarizing the key messages from the roundtable.

Building on the two conferences, which were held in 2005 and 2010, the third edition of the Perth Conference provided a global platform for mountain science community to enrich scientific knowledge on understanding of global change in mountain regions, to refine and develop joint collaborative research activities among institutions, to foster interdisciplinary perspectives among the global research community and to promote informed decision-making for mountain regions.