The recent MARGISTAR Extended Core Group meeting in Sofia gathered leaders from the project’s working groups to assess progress, address ongoing challenges, and outline plans for the next phase of the COST Action. Participants engaged in productive discussions, generating fresh ideas for enhancing community engagement and improving dissemination efforts. Among the key topics was the presentation of case studies and the launch of new tools to support sustainable development. A field visit to Gabrene showcased how local communities are successfully integrating cultural heritage with environmental sustainability to revitalise the region.

Crete, the largest island of Greece, is facing significant environmental challenges. Once covered in dense forests, the island's mountainous areas are today severely degraded due to overgrazing, fires, and soil erosion. However, with strategic restoration efforts, there is hope for revitalising these marginalised landscapes. Read more about the Asterousia range and the ancient village of Ethia to better understand local initiatives in  Crete's mountains.

Participating in a Virtual Mobility last June with Dublin City University was a pivotal experience for MARGISTAR’s Irene Christoforidi in designing the MARGISTAR Vision Workshop. This workshop aims to engage stakeholders in marginalised mountainous communities across the EU, enabling them to imagine future possibilities and develop actionable strategies for overcoming marginalisation challenges. Read on to better understand the outputs of this collaboration between Greece and Ireland and the budding initiative for community transformation in marginalised mountain areas.

In the rural mountainous areas of Serbia, women face significant challenges due to traditional patriarchal norms. These norms have long marginalised women, limiting their participation in economic activities outside the household and excluding them from decision-making processes both at home and within their communities. Despite legal prohibitions against gender discrimination, women in these regions still face substantial barriers to achieving equality.

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.

In Serbia, particularly in rural and mountainous regions, mushroom collection has emerged as a crucial economic activity. Nutrient-dense mushrooms, packed with proteins, vitamins, and minerals, are harvested both for personal consumption and commercial sales. This activity bolsters local economies, preserves traditional knowledge, and enhances community bonds, proving to be a valuable pursuit for many rural residents.

Serbia's tourism sector, traditionally focused around major cities, is increasingly highlighting its mountainous regions. These areas are becoming prominent tourism hubs due to their natural beauty and opportunities for activities such as hiking, skiing, and ecotourism. The rich natural resources in these regions support various outdoor activities, including hunting. Find out how mountain tourism, alongside spa and wellness tourism, plays a crucial role in Serbia's overall tourism development, helping diversify rural livelihoods and improve local economic conditions.

Serbia, lying at the crossroads of Central and South-eastern Europe, boasts extraordinary geographical diversity across its 88,499 km² lands. The northern province of Vojvodina features the flat expanses of the Pannonian Plain, while the central region is characterised by rolling hills and river valleys. The southern part of the country is dominated by mountain ranges, including the Dinaric Alps, Carpathian Mountains, and Balkan Mountains, with peaks exceeding 2,000 metres. Serbia’s mountainous areas are rich in natural resources and biodiversity, preserving rare and endangered species within national parks like Kopaonik, Tara, and Stara Planina. These regions, with their dense forests and unique ecosystems, not only highlight Serbia’s natural beauty, but underscore the country’s potential for sustainable tourism and organic farming.

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.