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Country Focus

Navigating Towards Sustainable Forest Futures: Reflections from the 26th IUFRO World Congress

Country Focus Jillian Jillian -
From the 23rd to 29th of June 2024, Stockholm hosted the prestigious 26th IUFRO World Congress under the theme “Forests and Society Towards 2050.” MARGISTAR’s Dr Oksana Pelyukh, an assistant at the Department of Ecological Economics and Business at the Ukrainian National Forestry University (Ukraine), attended this global gathering supported by the ITC Conference Grant provided by MARGISTAR. This blog reflects on her experience and insights gained during this transformative event.

The SIMRA Project: Enhancing Social Innovation in Marginalised (Mountainous) Rural Areas

Country Focus admin admin -
The Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas (SIMRA) project, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, operated from 2016 to 2020. Its main objective was to deepen our understanding of social innovation and innovative governance within agriculture, forestry, and rural development sectors, with a particular focus on Europe's marginalised rural areas as these often lack evidence of successful outcomes and necessary supporting conditions. Read on for an overview of the project, its achievements, and how MARGISTAR will use its findings to uncover further transformation pathways for European marginalised mountain regions.

Helping rural Ireland reimagine a more prosperous future for their towns and villages

Country Focus theolynn theolynn -
By Dr Michelle Cowley-Cunningham and Antonia Egli (Dublin City University) Rural development creates vibrant environments with improved economic opportunities for people to live and work....

Living Labs: Facilitators in Fostering Innovation in Marginalised Mountain Areas

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By Klaus Wagner, Ingrid Machold, and Somaye Latifi (Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Rural and Mountain Research (BAB), Vienna) The number of challenges that mountains...

Mountaineering Villages: An Initiative of the Austrian Alpine Association for Sustainable Mountain Tourism 

Country Focus admin admin -
Mountain areas attract outstanding numbers of tourists. After beaches and islands, they act as the second most demanded outdoor destination for tourism activities. Where agriculture has long been the main source of income and entire areas are characterised by outmigration, tourism has sustainably improved and transformed the working and living conditions of local populations. Based on work being done in Austria, this blog shares insights into how promoting tourism activities in so-called Mountaineering Villages as a means of income diversification beyond traditional sectors can pose as an effective solution in marginalised mountain areas. 

Céad Míle Fáilte: MARGISTAR Meets in Ireland for the COST Action’s Second General Assembly 

Country Focus theolynn theolynn -
On April 17 and 18, the Irish Institute of Digital Business (IIDB) at Dublin City University (DCU) welcomed international researchers from the MARGISTAR COST Action to the project's second annual General Assembly in Dublin. Prof Theo Lynn, Prof Colm O'Gorman, and Antonia Egli represent Ireland within the MARGISTAR consortium and lead the Action's Science Communications team. Over two days, consortium members focused on strategies to further progress MARGISTAR during the second grant period and met with stakeholders in Ireland to understand how different communities were seeking to address issues through rural town regeneration, digitisation, re-afforestation, or diversifying agriculture.  
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Conferences

News from the MARGISTAR Extended Core Group Meeting in Sofia

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.
Country Focus

Overcoming the Challenges of Crete’s Marginalised Mountains

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.
Country Focus

Creating the MARGISTAR Vision Workshop

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.
Country Focus

Empowering Women and Marginalised Groups in Serbia’s Mountains: Harnessing Natural Resources and Social Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Success

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.
Conferences

Ferlanda’s Short-Term Scientific Mission at ClimLaw: Graz: Examining Climate Change and Its Impact on Urban Development and Legal Regulation

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.

COST

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career, and innovation.

Action Details

  • MoU - 039/22
  • Approval date - 27/05/2022
  • Start date - 16/09/2022
  • End date - 15/09/2026

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