Europe's mountain regions are caught in a paradox. Rich in natural resources, cultural heritage, and ecological value, they are simultaneously among the continent's most vulnerable territories — facing depopulation, economic fragility, climate exposure, and institutional neglect in a self-reinforcing cycle that conventional policy has repeatedly failed to break.

This policy brief, developed through the MARGISTAR research network, introduces the concept of the polytrap: a condition in which multiple, interlinked social, economic, and institutional challenges compound one another, making isolated interventions not only insufficient but potentially counterproductive. Addressing depopulation without diversifying local economies, or rolling out digital infrastructure without building the capacity to use it, risks deepening the very inequalities it sets out to resolve.

The goal is not a single universal solution, but a coordinated, context-sensitive approach that equips mountain communities to shape their own futures — building the institutional flexibility, economic diversity, and ecological resilience needed to move from entrapment toward sustainable development.