Projects

The project goal is to halt the loss of biodiversity in peatland ecosystems in the Central Region ... of Romania by restoring their water flow system, improving human access and monitoring of the micro-climatic factors. Some specific objectives of the project: Identification and evaluation of areas and subareas that require ecological restoration; Identification and evaluation of areas and subareas that require ecological restoration; Greening and eliminating invasive vegetation; Reconditioning and creation of thematic routes for educational purposes and for minimizing the impact of uncontrolled tourism; Prior- and post-intervention monitoring; Removal of invasive woody and grassy species; Elimination of biomass (non-specific vegetation and dead wood); Elimination / blocking of drainage channels; Disposal of illegal landfills; Removal / moving of gutters; or Dam construction.

The project aims to establish whether the Lombardy caigua (Cyclanthera pedata) populations, adapt ... ed to the environmental conditions of the mountainous areas of Lombardy, are genetically different from the American ones and have agronomic, phytochemical-nutritional and medicinal characteristics similar to those of Mesoamerica. This study would provide the scientific data necessary to enroll the landraces of Lombardy caigua in the national agro-biodiversity registry (to initiate actions for the conservation of the genetic resource) and to promote the launch of new agri-food and/or herbal medicines able to increase the plant resources of Lombardy and promote the sustainable development of mountain territories.

In the high slopes of the Andorran Pyrenees, as in other mountain regions, climate change has alr ... eady begun to alter the landscape. Some species are moving to higher latitudes, and some have begun to decline. The ways humans use the land also causes shifts in the natural order of things, but little research has been done on how people have impacted this particular place. Questions of how climate change and human encroachment continue to alter this alpine world need answers as local organizations work towards sustainable solutions. Wildlife in the Changing Andorran Pyrenees is a citizen science project in which volunteers participate in the field work, studying the most relevant natural components in the tree line, including the soil microbial community, small and large mammals, birds, and black pine trees.

PEAK – New Heights for Youth Entrepreneurship is a dedicated climate smart mountain entrepreneurs ... hip programme for youth which empowers participative and decisive action towards the rejuvenation of mountain economies and sustainable mountain development now and in the future. Europe’s mountainous regions have contributed to shaping not only Europe’s history, society and economy, but also its climate and environment. Now under threat from issues concerning low population density, difficulty of access, economic and ecological vulnerability, there is distinctive NEED for a new approach to the environmental preservation, economic regeneration and sustainable development of mountain regions. PEAK is a new approach which places young people at the heart of the process. For centuries, young people have out-migrated from Europe’s remote, high-altitude regions, a process that resulted in brain drain and the consequent social and economic destabilization of mountain communities. Mountains occupy 41.3% of European territory and are home to 25.4% of Europe’s people. PEAK is motivated to achieve the following objectives: a) Unlock the economic potential of youth entrepreneurship and new economic niches (such as offering tours or selling added value regional products); b) Combat and reverse depopulation by attracting young people to stay, move to – or move back to – mountain areas and become entrepreneurs; c) Empower youth through entrepreneurship to be equal partners and torchbearers in creating and implementing goals toward environmental sustainability, which according to the World Programme of Action on Youth is crucial to youth participation in environmental preservation.

SILVER SMEs aims to improve the implementation and delivery of regional policies for SMEs competi ... tiveness by building on significant opportunities arising from the Silver Economy in rural and mountainous regions. The project will focus on SMEs’ development opportunities to produce goods and products for the retired (from 62 years old) in 9 different regions in Europe.

A-RING addresses the overall need to pool efforts in tackling major challenges with joint Researc ... h and Innovation (R&I) approach steering EU Open Innovation path. It fosters alignment between different R&I policy initiatives and institutional frameworks to effectively address societal challenges, increases the uptake of strengths and assets, and gathers expectations from Business Sector and innovation potential from Academia, granting citizens’ needs linked to responsible R&I (RRI). A-RING Partners work on setting up the basis for an effective and permanent transnational cooperation for shared R&I policies in the Alpine Region. A-RING aims to increase the level of application of multilevel and transnational governance in the Alpine Space with the right policy mix achieved in coherence with the Public Authorities’ vision, their synergic and/or complementary approach on S3 strategies and improved environment for the collaboration including Academia and Business Sector.

Since the beginning of the EUSALP strategy, in January 2016, the UNIMONT Pole has supported the L ... ombardy Region in the leadership of the Action Group 1 whose goal is to develop an efficient ecosystem of Research & Innovation in the Alpine Region, interacting with National and Regional Institutions from 7 States and 48 Regions with the supervision of the DG Regio of the European Union. The EUSALP process has brought concrete benefits in the construction of strategic partnerships for participation in calls, as well as in the development of important tools for the promotion of the research ecosystem in the Alpine Region (eg Re-Search Alps platform and the tool for comparative analysis of S3).

Southern European mountain areas are considered highly sensitive to climate change impacts due to ... , among others, the decrease in available water, the drought duration and severity or the increased frequency of fires. In addition, these areas have suffered in the last decade’s rural abandonment and reduction of socioeconomic activities, causing a progressive loss of the mosaic landscape and a revegetation of the mountain slopes. These processes have reduced the environmental services provided by mountain areas, such as the provision of water to the lower parts of the basins, as well as the sustainability of agrarian and forestry systems and their economic income. In this context, the project promotes the recuperation of the agro-silvo-pastoral mosaic to reverse this processes and adapt mid-mountain areas to climate change impacts.

The Montesinho Natural Park is one of the largest natural parks in the Iberian Peninsula, located ... in the northeast of Portugal, in a mountainous area characterized by its extensive biodiversity, the magnificent landscapes and one of the largest patches of black oak in Europe. Since 2020, by a decision of the Portuguese government, a consortium led by More Colab  has been responsible for the recovery of the former housing of the forest rangers, who in the past patrolled the Natural Park, for the installation of the “Montesinho Observatory – Dionísio Gonçalves”. The Observatory will comprise a meteorological station to study the dynamics of mountain ecosystems in the face of climate change, a conference room, co-working spaces, as well as tourist housing.