MARGISTAR’s Ferlanda Luna participated in a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) at ClimLaw: Graz in Graz, Austria. The mission focused on interdisciplinary research into data practices and examining their multiple dimensions, and provided a platform for discussing legal concepts and regulatory frameworks for managing climate vulnerabilities. This experience involved comparative desk research on urban public policies and risk management across different countries, enriching Ferlanda’s research methodologies and understanding of diverse climate impacts. Continue reading to learn more about the mission and its effects on Ferlanda’s research.

The 12th Annual International Conference on Ecology, Ecosystems, and Climate Change, held in Athens, Greece, on July 15-18, 2024, gave MARGISTAR’s Yaşar Selman Gültekin a special opportunity to disseminate preliminary results from case studies conducted on the Western Black Sea Region of Türkiye. Read on for more about this important opportunity to present MARGISTAR and some of its case studies to researchers, scientists, and students from around the world.

Earlier this year, Sérgio Barbosa from the University of Coimbra participated in a Short-Term Scientific Mission at the University of Graz's Department of Sociology. The mission aimed to develop pedagogical tools to engage young people in marginalised mountain areas and to address digital technology imbalances between urban and rural regions. Sérgio's research focused on fostering lifelong engagement with digital technologies through participatory pedagogy. He also presented his findings at a seminar hosted by the HFDT research network. This mission marked a significant step towards creating educational frameworks for digital participation among young people in rural areas.

In recent years, the concept of 'nudging' the citizen has gained traction as a powerful tool for promoting positive behavioural change and achieving policy goals. But why focus only on citizens? Read on to learn what nudging citizens and pinching policymakers entails.

Europe’s mountainous areas cover almost 40% of the continent and are home to 17% of its human population. However, mountainous areas are also characterised by disparity, poorer territorial cohesion, unbalanced protection and use of ecosystem services, exploited natural resources, and marginalisation.

Since the turn of the last century, there has been little doubt that to survive in fragile mountain territories, things had to be done together. But how has this way of managing goods and resources changed in recent times? The story of five young people and two mountain villages in Italy invites us to reflect on the role that the collective management of goods and resources can play today.