As part of the International Mountains Conference (IMC), to be held this year in Innsbruck, Austria, between 11-15 September, the Global Mountain Biodiversity Assessment (GMBA), the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), and Future Earth, under Future Earth’s “Science-based pathways for sustainability” initiative, will jointly co-convene a Focus Session titled “ID57: Towards a community of practice for science-based transformations to sustainability in mountain regions ” – and invite your contributions!

Knowledge on pathways towards sustainability is growing, and also in mountain contexts. Likewise, the literature on sustainable mountain development (SMD), as well as the number of sustainability-oriented initiatives in mountain regions, are proliferating. However, evidence on if and how these initiatives contribute to changes in the fabric of legal, political, economic, and social-ecological systems in mountains, as advocated to achieve transformative change, remains elusive and difficult to systematically account for at the relevant scales.

Based on examples of sustainability initiatives, this session aims to engage with researchers in a process of joint learning on science-based pathways for SMD, initiate a reflection on the concepts and theories of change adopted in formulating science-based pathways, and substantiate how systemic and transformative change could be supported in mountains. We seek to encourage engagement with and contributions to efforts within the Future Earth “Science-based pathways for sustainability” initiative, with experiences in mountain contexts.

Given that 2022 was recently proclaimed by the UN General Assembly as the International Year for Sustainable Mountain Development, the co-conveners invite contributions that also reflect on the significance of SMD in this broader context as a way to contribute in the observance of this International Year by the mountain research community.

Submit your abstract here: https://www.imc2022.info/abstract-submission/
Deadline for abstract submissions: 16 February 2022

About the IMC 2022
The IMC 2022 takes place from 11-15 September 2022 in Innsbruck, Austria, and builds on a legacy of scientific conferences held over the years that focus on global change research in mountain regions. For more information, visit their website: https://www.imc2022.info/