IPROMO 2019 Summer School: Landscape approach for enhancing mountain resilience

Introduction

Landscape approaches systematically consider the situations, needs and objectives of the multiple sectors and diverse stakeholders in an integrated way. For this reason, they can be used to optimize land use and management practices to contribute to local, subnational and national goals and thereby to help achieve multiple Sustainable Development Goals.

Landscape approaches inherently focus on connecting – people, sectors, production systems, etc., - and therefore facilitate the targeting and harmonization of policies and achievement of the desired results.

Mountains are transboundary landscapes that require integrated approaches to sustain the ecosystems services they provide.  Mainstreaming an integrated landscape approach in mountains allows for more effective sustainable management and better conservation especially in protected areas, corridors and heritage territories, including agrobiodiversity management, sustainable forest management and soil and water conservation. Sustainable management of mountain landscapes is essential for sustaining ecosystem services such as water and food crop diversity, and for enabling climate change adaptation by vulnerable local communities.

Mountains face multiple challenges, such as climate change, mining, deforestation and unsustainable agriculture and over grazing. Improving livelihoods and sustaining ecosystem services requires fostering innovation, knowledge exchange and co-learning across mountain regions, to scale out successful ‘seeds of innovation’. It requires partnerships between institutions, governments and communities, linking science and traditional knowledge, merging research with practice.

An integrated approach in mountains allows for different stakeholders, from different ministries, civil society and local community, including indigenous peoples, to adopt a holistic planning and implementation that involves both bottom up and top down processes as well as traditional knowledge and innovation. It requires a participatory approach in order to involve every community member and every other concerned stakeholder with the purpose of achieving transparent and fairly negotiated decision-making processes. Full participation helps ensure that the rights, roles and responsibilities of all individuals and institutions involved are clearly defined and facilitates conflict resolution when needed. 

Objectives

The IPROMO summer school will focus on several aspects, tools and skills that contribute to an integrated management of mountain areas through a landscape approach, ranging from environmental conservation, water supply to income generation and food security. Particular emphasis will be placed on the importance of a participatory approach where local communities and authorities closely cooperate. The field trip to Aosta Valley (in cooperation with the Institut Agricole Régional and the Municipality of Gressoney la Trinité), will allow participants to discover different examples of sustainable mountain resources management. The interrelations between climate change, poverty reduction and food insecurity and other global challenges in mountain areas will be discussed during the course and working groups will be formed, allowing participants to share their knowledge and build a network of experts.

Structure and Venue

The summer school will be held in two charming Italian alpine venues – Ormea, NW Italy, and Pieve Tesino, NE Italy – with field trips to the surrounding area. The course can accommodate approximately 30 participants, who will be selected among officers, development experts and technicians from all over the world.

Activities will begin on 02 July 2019 with an overview of the course and end on 18 July 2019 with the closing ceremony; the course will include lectures, seminars, group work and field trips. The lecturers will be experts from the UN system, universities, international organizations and NGOs.

The activities in Ormea will be organized by the University of Turin (DISAFA-NatRisk), in cooperation with the CNR-IRPI, the Institut Agricole Régional and with financial support from the Town of Ormea.

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

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 of excellence 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 - Geohazard Monitoring Group, CNR IRPI, Turin, Italy

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

Official course language:

English

Requirements:

Excellent command of English
Advanced scientific degree 

IPROMO 2019 Editorials:

International Institute for Sustainable Development

Lifegate (EN)

Lifegate (IT)

FAO Forestry Press Release