SIMRA’s fourth brochure collecting examples of social innovation in marginalised rural areas has just been published. This collection of brochures aims at concretely illustrating social innovation through the presentation of local on-going initiatives throughout Europe and the Mediterranean basin, taking turns addressing different marginalized rural areas. This brochure addresses mountain areas.

The specificity of mountains is recognised both by EU policies such as the Common Agricultural Policy and the Regional Policy; and by global agreements such as the Sustainable Development Goals and UNESCO designations. Mountains cover 26.7% of SIMRA’s study area. They are important sources of energy, water and biological and cultural diversity, and characterised by their altitude, terrain, roughness, slopes, low population density and difficulties of access, making them sometimes marginalised rural areas.

This new collection of examples of social innovation focuses on how communities capitalise on the natural and social assets in mountainous areas in terms of community life, living environment, and dynamic approaches to governance.