Fourth Mountain Futures Conference forges sustainable solutions in Kunming, China

The fourth edition of the Mountain Futures International Conference, revitalized global collaboration on inclusive bioeconomy approaches for mountain regions.  This year’s conference, held under the theme “Inclusive Bioeconomy: Mountain-based approaches for nature positive and climate resilience”, advanced discussions on innovative and inclusive mountain-based solutions that link biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods and circular bioeconomy models.  

The conference featured 21 keynote speeches, eight parallel sessions and multiple side events and roundtables discussions, showcasing best practices from mountain regions in Africa, Asia and the Andes. In total, over 150 participants, including 60 international delegates, were involved in the events throughout the week. The participants were from a wide range of international organizations including United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Agroforestry (ICRAF), the Joint Centre between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/IAEA) and the UN office for South-South cooperation.  The discussions were organized around four key themes: Indigenous Peoples’ wisdom and ecological pluralism, scientific exploration and new quality productive forces, ecological restoration and climate resilience and future living and green trade chains.

During the opening session, Xu Jianchu, Director of the Mountain Futures Research Center and Zhang Linxiu, Director of UNEP-IEMP, called for greater cooperation to strengthen ecosystem restoration and green transformation in mountains. Adrià Verges Aleix, from the Mountain Partnership Secretariat contributed to the opening session, explaining how this year’s theme resonates deeply with the core values and objectives of the MPS and MP members. He stressed that the promotion of inclusive bioeconomies is essential to protect both mountain regions and the people inhabiting those territories. Adrià also joined the roundtable on ‘Bioeconomy in Urban Life’, highlighting how well-managed mountain cultural landscapes can generate sustainable income through responsible tourism. He emphasized that mountain tourism supports a complex local value chain, benefiting multiple sectors such as agriculture.

This year, the conference was held from 24 to 28 September in Kunming, China. The Mountain Partnership has been a co-organizer of the event since its first edition in 2016 and continues to be committed to the goals and messages promoted by this conference.  The fourth edition of the Mountain Futures Conference was hosted by the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and co-organized by the United Nations Environment Programme’s International Ecosystem Management Partnership (UNEP-IEMP), the Mountain Partnership (MP), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Center for International Forestry Research-World Agroforestry (CIFOR–ICRAF), the Institute of Animal Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Shan Shui Nature Conservation Center.

The conference closed with a shared resolve to transform ideas into action, empowering mountain communities to lead the way toward a greener, more inclusive and resilient future.