Conferences

Reflections from the Futures of Natural Resources Conference and Researcher Practices

Conferences Jillian Jillian -
In this blog, I report my personal experience at the Futures of Natural Resources Conference and reflect on the transformative ways researchers can participate in conferences to achieve the biggest possible positive research and outreach benefits and the least possible negative social-ecological impact.

MARGISTAR at the 21st Rural Entrepreneurship Conference: Empowering Rural Futures through Entrepreneurial Potential in a Net-Zero Era 

Conferences Jillian Jillian -
From June 5 to 7, MARGISTAR’s Anita Busljeta Tonkovic for the fourth time visited the Rural Entrepreneurship Conference at the University of Leeds, England. Although the conference location changes annually, it is host to a regular group of academics who Anita has been meeting and maintaining international scientific collaborations with for years. Read about Anita’s experiences and how these have changed since her first visit as a postdoctoral researcher in 2016.
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Events

Built Around Fire: Participation, Presence, and People with Finnish Hospitality

What do a Himalayan wood stove and a Finnish campfire have in common? Reflecting on childhood evenings spent around a fire with family in the Himalayas and a memorable gathering during the MARGISTAR Training School in Finland, Rajesh explores how fire has long served as a catalyst for human connection. From storytelling and shared meals to informal conversations and new friendships, the experience of making traditional Finnish lettu around a fire in a Sami-style Kota revealed how simple elements can bring people together across cultures.
Events

Pinching policymakers: Notes from a MARGISTAR Training School

Simo Sarkki (Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), Finland), Renata Pacheco (IRTA, Sustainability in Biosystems, Spain), Irene Christoforidi (Department...
Project News

MARGISTAR Opens 5th Call for Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) Grant Applications

MARGISTAR has launched its fifth call for Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) for mobilities occurring between June 15 and August 30, 2026. All applications must be submitted before May 30 and all activities must occur before August 30, 2026.
Conferences

Call for Pitches: Pinching Policy-Makers & Green Diplomacy

The MARGISTAR COST Action invites its members to contribute to a high-level policy event in Brussels, designed to strengthen the interface between science, policy and practice in the context of marginal regions, ecosystem restoration and climate action.
MARGISTAR on the Road

A Bittersweet Harvest: Marginalisation and Survival in the Axarquía

The Axarquía region of Málaga is one of contradictions. To the tourist, it is a rugged viticulture paradise. To the local farmer, it is a demanding landscape that often asks for more than it gives back. Behind the world-renowned Muscat of Alexandria raisin lies a story of a community fighting to remain rooted in the land while the globalised world moves on.