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Albania is known for its diverse landscapes that collectively contribute to the country’s natural beauty, biodiversity, and cultural heritage. Albania’s mountains in particular present excellent opportunities for sustainable rural tourism and ecological conservation, but also pose challenges to local communities. This blog provides a comprehensive overview of the marginalised mountain ranges of Albania and dives into the diverse set of social, economic, and ecological challenges they face. We also introduce promising emerging solutions ranging from sustainable tourism initiatives that bring about economic opportunities, to infrastructure improvements and agricultural revitalisation initiatives that support niche agricultural products.

MARGISTAR has been out and about this autumn. Shortly after a first in-person meeting with Working Group 2 in Türkiye, Working Group 1 members met in Albania this October. Read on for a short overview of our COST Action meeting, along with a glimpse of the Albanian peaks and valleys we were lucky to visit.

Dr Laura Boffi is an interaction design researcher and practitioner with a background in product design. She just completed a one-year research fellowship at the Università Ca' Foscari Venezia in Italy. In this blog, Laura delves into a participatory project focused on biodiversity conservation and local agropastoral traditions, which was inspired by her conversations with a local shepherd in Abruzzo, Italy.

In September 2023, MARGISTAR Working Group 2 (WG2) members travelled to Düzce city in Türkiye. Read on for a brief summary of this COST Action meeting and the experiences we had, including our field trip to Efteni Lake, Güzeldere Waterfall Nature Park, and the Kardüz Upland.

Communities in Türkiye's remote mountainous regions grapple with a myriad of environmental, economic, and social challenges. Among these challenges, erosion stands out as a significant concern. This blog provides and overview of the erosion challenges in Türkiye's mountainous regions and illustrates how soil erosion and flooding caused by deforestation can be counteracted by public intervention by reference to the “Erosion Control Project” for the Çakıt Stream Watershed in southern Türkiye.

Connecting the Anatolian Peninsula in western Asia and the Balkan Peninsula in southeast Europe, the Republic of Türkiye has been the bridge between Europe and Asia for over 2,500 years. The country is renowned for its cuisine, rich cultural heritage, intricate architecture, and varied landscapes. Although it spans across an area of 783,356 square kilometres, making it the world’s 36th largest country, Türkiye is only the 107th most inhabited country worldwide. In this blog, we will provide an overview of Türkiye’s topography, geology, and the marginalisation challenges the inhabitants of its mountainous regions face.