IPROMO 2022 Summer School

Sustainable management of mountain areas

Introduction

The sustainable management of mountain areas is crucial to protect mountain ecosystems and build the resilience of communities. 

This has been recently confirmed by the decision of the United Nations General Assembly to declare 2022 as the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development (IYM2022).The resolution was proposed by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, and supported by 94 governments: a clear recognition of the global relevance of mountains and the services they provide to our planet.

This year will also mark the fifteenth IPROMO course, as the first one took place in 2008. Since then, more than 450 people from all over the world have been trained and shared their knowledge. Since 2021, the course is offered also in Spanish.

In consideration of the IYM2022 and of the fifteenth IPROMO anniversary, the course will deal with sustainable mountain development at large rather than focusing on one theme.  

Mountains and their resources are key for a healthy planet. Mountains provide freshwater to more than half of humanity, host about half of the world's biodiversity hotspots and are widely covered by forests (about 40 percent of the entire mountain area).  

The latest study on mountain peoples’ vulnerability to food insecurity found that 44 percent of the rural mountain population, or 243 million people, was vulnerable to food insecurity in 2000. By 2017, this number had increased to 53 percent – the equivalent of 346 million people.

Vulnerability to food insecurity is not the only challenge mountain communities face. Mountain peoples are often marginalized. Natural hazards, climate change, conflicts and land degradation as well as limited access to infrastructures, markets, education and capacity building opportunities contribute to poverty and inequality, reducing mountain people's ability to cope with food shortages and other shocks. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are yet to be fully studied, but preliminary findings indicate that many mountain communities have been severely hit given the sharp decrease of tourism and remittances.

We must re-think our approach to sustainably manage mountain areas and to improve mountain people’s livelihoods. IPROMO is a contribution to better understanding the challenges and catalyze action towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in mountains.

Objectives

The IPROMO 2022 Summer School will focus on several aspects, tools and skills that contribute to an integrated management of mountain areas through the many aspects of sustainable mountain development. 

Topics include: basic understanding of sustainable mountain development, mountain forests and ecosystems services, climate change in mountains, mountain governance, sustainable mountain economic development, and agrifood systems in mountains.

Working groups will be formed, allowing participants to share their knowledge and build a network of experts.

Structure and Venue

For the first time in two years, the course will be held once again in person.

The summer school will take place in two charming Italian alpine venues – Ormea in northwest Italy, and Pieve Tesino in northeast Italy – with field trips to the surrounding areas. The course can accommodate approximately 30 participants, whom will be selected among officers, researchers and technicians dealing with bioeconomy from all over the world. All selected participants are required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination status.

Activities will begin on 27 June 2022 with an overview of the course and end on 11 July 2022 with a closing ceremony. The course will include lectures, seminars, group work and field trips. The lecturers will be experts from the United Nations System, universities, international organizations and non-governmental organizations. 

The activities in Ormea will be organized by the University of Turin’s Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA) Interdepartmental Research Centre on Natural Risks in Mountain and Hilly Environments (NatRisk), in collaboration with the National Research Council - Research Institute for Hydrogeological Prevention and Protection (CNR-IRPI) and the Institut Agricole Régional, with financial support from the City of Ormea. 

The activities in Pieve Tesino will be supported by the Centre of Alpine Studies of the University of Tuscia, the City of Pieve Tesino, the Community of Valsugana and Tesino and the Autonomous Province of Trento.

Basic information

Scientific Directors:

Professor Michele Freppaz - Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA) - Interdepartmental Research Centre on Natural Risks in Mountain and Hilly Environments (NatRisk), University of Turin, Italy

Professor Giuseppe Scarascia Mugnozza - Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy

Programme coordinator:

Rosalaura Romeo - Mountain Partnership Secretariat, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Rome, Italy

Chair and course managers:

Danilo Godone - National Research Council, Research Institute for Hydrogeological Prevention and Protection (CNR - IRPI), Geohazard Monitoring Group, Turin, Italy

Tommaso Chiti - Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy

Official course language:

English

Requirements:

Excellent command of English
Advanced scientific degree