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INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMME ON RESEARCH AND TRAINING ON SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF MOUNTAIN AREAS

Course 2008:  Mountain Environment and Global Change

 

Following an agreement between the University of Torino, Faculty of Agriculture, DI.VA.P.R.A. Department, Piedmont Region, UNESCO, FAO Mountain Partnership Secretariat, Alta Valsesia Park, Vercelli Province, Comunità Montana Valsesia, Alagna Municipality, Varallo Sesia CAI Section, on the IPROMO Project, the international post-graduate course "Mountain Environment and Global Change" for the academic year 2008/09, was founded at the Faculty of Agriculture - Department of Reclamation and Protection of Agro-forestry Resources DI.VA.P.R.A. The course has been conceived within the framework of the "UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)" coordinated by UNESCO.

Objectives

 

The overall purpose of this course is to provide the participants with knowledge of the main control and feedback mechanisms of climate change in mountain forest environments. The main objectives are:
To focus on technical and scientific topics related to global change, and their influence on the environment at different levels;
To increase the candidates' experience in the evaluation of ecosystem responses to environmental and global change variables;
To record, interpret and assess critically the main scientific literature on these topics;
To evaluate critically the consequences, both predicted and not, of alternative environmental strategies.

 

Structure and venue

 

The course took place from the 23rd of July to the 6th of August 2008, with 15 days of "full immersion". It included lectures, practice, labs, and field trips. Part of the lectures took place at the Istituto Scientifico Angelo Mosso at Col d'Olen (L.N.S.A. high altitude snow and soil lab DI.VA.P.R.A.), the rest at the Faculty of Agriculture in Grugliasco. Lab activities were held in the DI.VA.P.R.A. - LNSA lab and meteorological observatory at Col d'Olen, and in the DI.VA.P.R.A. labs in Grugliasco. Multidisciplinary activities were carried out in the Alta Valsesia Natural Park, Mont Avic Natural Park, the Montmars nature reserve and in the paleoglacial study site in the Italian and Swiss Alps. 
Click here for the presentations and programme of the course.

Basic information

 

Scientific Director: Prof. Ermanno Zanini - DI.VA.P.R.A. Faculty of Agriculture - University of Torino 
Official language for course: English 
Pre-requisites for admission: Degree in Agriculture, Forestry, Geography, Soil Sciences or or related field, and working experience in the field of mountain areas planning and protection. 
Number of participants: maximum of 30.

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