A European forum for the revitalisation of marginalised mountain areas

Europe’s mountainous areas cover almost 40 % of the continent and are home to 17 % of its human population. However, they are often showplaces of disparity, poorer territorial cohesion, unbalanced use and conservation of ecosystem services, and marginalisation.

MARGISTAR, a collaborative COST Action forum, aims to foster transformation strategies and innovation processes towards the revitalisation of these areas and the co-creation of alternative and effective pathways to sustainability.

Chaired by Research Professor Juha Hiedanpää of the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), MARGISTAR involves participants from 27 countries. The network includes researchers and stakeholders representing a wide cross-section of society and interests in mountainous regions, including agriculturists, geographers, environmental scientists, economists, political and social scientists, amongst others.

The project supports international collaboration that invites scholars, inhabitants, civil society, entrepreneurs, local government, and policymakers to work together to bring about transformative change towards more connected and resilient mountainous communities.

The four-year EU-funded MARGISTAR project will further develop the online FAIRWAY platform enabling transdisciplinary exchange between researchers and stakeholders. This will create networking opportunities amongst scholars, enable training for young academics, and support the exchange of intersectional evidence surrounding potential transformation pathways in marginalised mountainous regions.

MARGISTAR has established three interacting transdisciplinary Working Groups focussed on coordination and networking (WG1), co-creation and synthesis of research and best practice on periphery traps, visions of post-marginalised futures, and transformation pathways (WG2), and capacity building and outreach (WG3).

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.

Photo: Mikko Jokinen