Periodic Reporting for period 3 - MOVING (Mountain Valorization through Interconnectedness and Green Growth)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-09-01 do 2024-08-31
European mountains cover 36% of the total area, host 16% of Europe’s population, and represent a great diversity of ecosystems, land uses, cultural practices, and traditional and innovative knowledge systems providing crucial public and private goods and services. However, they are facing pressures such as climate change or depopulation. A new generation of policies and governance strategies is needed to adapt to these changes and enhance resilience and sustainability. MOVING has involved +1000 stakeholders in 23 different mountain areas to assess mountain value chains (MVCs) with the potential to bolster these regions. MOVING main objective has been to build capacities and co-develop relevant policy frameworks through a bottom-up participatory process that engages value chain actors, stakeholders and policymakers for the establishment of new or upgraded/upscaled value chains that contribute to the resilience and sustainability of mountain areas.
MOVING objectives have been:
1. Establish a European-wide Community of Practice (CoP) on Mountain Value Chains
2. Develop a conceptual and analytical framework to describe and interpret the diversity of MVCs and assess their contribution to sustainability and resilience
3. Provide visual tools to raise awareness of the mountains’ diversity of land use and production systems, threats, and bio-physical assets
4. Study the configurations, strategies, dynamics, and value distribution of MVCs in the main European mountainous areas
5. Develop in-depth, participatory, critical benchmarking of clusters of MVCs to identify enablers and blocking factors
6. Carry out foresight exercises to capture and anticipate the long-term trends affecting mountain areas
7. Elaborate an evidence-based policy roadmap and policy design toolkit for the next generation of policy interventions to enhance the connectivity, sustainability, and resilience of mountain regions
MOVING objectives have been:
1. Establish a European-wide Community of Practice (CoP) on Mountain Value Chains
2. Develop a conceptual and analytical framework to describe and interpret the diversity of MVCs and assess their contribution to sustainability and resilience
3. Provide visual tools to raise awareness of the mountains’ diversity of land use and production systems, threats, and bio-physical assets
4. Study the configurations, strategies, dynamics, and value distribution of MVCs in the main European mountainous areas
5. Develop in-depth, participatory, critical benchmarking of clusters of MVCs to identify enablers and blocking factors
6. Carry out foresight exercises to capture and anticipate the long-term trends affecting mountain areas
7. Elaborate an evidence-based policy roadmap and policy design toolkit for the next generation of policy interventions to enhance the connectivity, sustainability, and resilience of mountain regions
MOVING has developed a DECO strategy, built a Community of Practice and a Virtual Research Environment, and run youth engagement activities. It carried on +2,000 Community and Dissemination Activities with outreach to nearly 496,000 stakeholders. It also engaged stakeholders through 23 Regional (>1,000 actors) and 1 EU-level Multi-Actor Platforms (approx. 100 actors), including >1,700 youth. It produced the MOVING App for disseminating the project’s results and provided an Exploitation Plan for sustainability and uptake of results.
MOVING has developed a robust conceptual and analytical framework to build the methodologies used in the project to describe, classify and assess the contribution of mountain value chains to the sustainability and resilience of mountain land-based production systems.
MOVING conducted a thorough study of the vulnerability of mountain land-use systems in Europe, integrating local empirical knowledge with scientific knowledge to deliver a nuanced insight into mountain areas' social and economic dynamics. We found that mountains are fragile ecosystems facing essential threats such as climate change and demographic decline, and small changes can lead to catastrophic effects. We also identified more than 160 adaptive mechanisms to face this vulnerability. Most are not yet in use, and public and private support is needed to make them feasible.
MOVING identified over 450 MVCs in Europe that deliver public and private goods and services crucial for the resilience and sustainability of these areas and society in general. 23 MVCs ranging from crop-based, animal-based, and alcohol-based to tourism and knowledge economy were analysed. They showed that the assemblage (interconnectedness) of MVCs brings economic, social, and environmental benefits, being the economic ones stronger. Upgrading strategies were constructed for each MVC.
Five clusters of MVCs were identified based on main challenges: Social and Demographic aspects, Value and Quality Products, Innovation and Infrastructure, Nature and Ecosystem Services, and Governance, Cooperation and Territoriality. Benchmarking and cross-comparison among clusters led to identifying trade-offs, challenges and solutions. Seven key objectives defined to boost sustainability and resilience were ranked, and social aspects such as human capital and cooperation prioritised. Experts highlighted socio-ecological balance as a major priority and recognised the importance of MVCs in retaining talent, diversifying the economy, and preventing depopulation.
22 participatory local foresight, four cross-cluster and 1 Pan-European foresight exercise were developed. Four archetypes (Economic, Nature, Niche and Diversification, and Knowledge motivation) were elaborated to draft scenarios and strategies to address the challenges for a better future. Thirty flagship strategic options were documented, some already in place but not adapted to the mountains, some others piloting innovative interventions, and some being only at an early designing stage.
MOVING developed a Policy Roadmap based on 8 blocks aiming to build an enabling environment for “unlocking the power” of MVCs. And a Policy Design Toolkit to help mountain stakeholders craft contextualised demands for effective policy formulation.
MOVING has developed a robust conceptual and analytical framework to build the methodologies used in the project to describe, classify and assess the contribution of mountain value chains to the sustainability and resilience of mountain land-based production systems.
MOVING conducted a thorough study of the vulnerability of mountain land-use systems in Europe, integrating local empirical knowledge with scientific knowledge to deliver a nuanced insight into mountain areas' social and economic dynamics. We found that mountains are fragile ecosystems facing essential threats such as climate change and demographic decline, and small changes can lead to catastrophic effects. We also identified more than 160 adaptive mechanisms to face this vulnerability. Most are not yet in use, and public and private support is needed to make them feasible.
MOVING identified over 450 MVCs in Europe that deliver public and private goods and services crucial for the resilience and sustainability of these areas and society in general. 23 MVCs ranging from crop-based, animal-based, and alcohol-based to tourism and knowledge economy were analysed. They showed that the assemblage (interconnectedness) of MVCs brings economic, social, and environmental benefits, being the economic ones stronger. Upgrading strategies were constructed for each MVC.
Five clusters of MVCs were identified based on main challenges: Social and Demographic aspects, Value and Quality Products, Innovation and Infrastructure, Nature and Ecosystem Services, and Governance, Cooperation and Territoriality. Benchmarking and cross-comparison among clusters led to identifying trade-offs, challenges and solutions. Seven key objectives defined to boost sustainability and resilience were ranked, and social aspects such as human capital and cooperation prioritised. Experts highlighted socio-ecological balance as a major priority and recognised the importance of MVCs in retaining talent, diversifying the economy, and preventing depopulation.
22 participatory local foresight, four cross-cluster and 1 Pan-European foresight exercise were developed. Four archetypes (Economic, Nature, Niche and Diversification, and Knowledge motivation) were elaborated to draft scenarios and strategies to address the challenges for a better future. Thirty flagship strategic options were documented, some already in place but not adapted to the mountains, some others piloting innovative interventions, and some being only at an early designing stage.
MOVING developed a Policy Roadmap based on 8 blocks aiming to build an enabling environment for “unlocking the power” of MVCs. And a Policy Design Toolkit to help mountain stakeholders craft contextualised demands for effective policy formulation.
Combining the Social-Ecological Systems and the VCs frameworks, MOVING has developed a novel comparative conceptual and analytical framework characterising the contributions of MVCs to resilient and sustainable development.
MOVING created a Community of Practice based on 23 regional Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs) plus an EU MAP with +1100 stakeholders that have dynamised these territories involving all the relevant actors in the analysis of the mountain vulnerabilities, the role that MVCs play in sustainability and resilience, the analysis of challenges, but also potential solutions and the identification of future trends and ways to move to the desired futures. The visions of over 1000 youngsters and their expectations for the future have also been gathered.
MOVING has delivered a participatory analysis of the vulnerabilities that local actors identified in the land use systems and the main threats they perceive. The drivers of change have been ranked, and over 160 mechanics to address them identified, and their feasibility analysed.
MOVING delivered a broad screening of MVCs (+450) across Europe and characterised them in an inventory. It also analysed 23 MVCs to identify their contribution to mountain vitality and provide upgrading strategies. These MVCs were clustered to be compared and benchmarked. An analysis of the trade-offs and challenges they face, and the solutions to overcome them has been delivered.
A foresight analysis of the trends by 2050 has been done, identifying 4 archetypes and 30 flagship strategic options to improve resilience and sustainability.
Finally, MOVING showed that most EU policies and strategies fail to address the unique challenges mountain areas face or are not adapted to the needs and expectations of local stakeholders, reducing their impact and effectiveness. MOVING proposed a Policy Roadmap based on 8 building blocks and an intervention logic that connects the specific needs of mountain communities with potential policy actions. The MOVING Policy Toolkit presents different techniques and tools to identify the needs of mountain areas and craft policies adapted to them in lay language and visual manner to be used by mountain (rural) stakeholders.
MOVING created a Community of Practice based on 23 regional Multi-Actor Platforms (MAPs) plus an EU MAP with +1100 stakeholders that have dynamised these territories involving all the relevant actors in the analysis of the mountain vulnerabilities, the role that MVCs play in sustainability and resilience, the analysis of challenges, but also potential solutions and the identification of future trends and ways to move to the desired futures. The visions of over 1000 youngsters and their expectations for the future have also been gathered.
MOVING has delivered a participatory analysis of the vulnerabilities that local actors identified in the land use systems and the main threats they perceive. The drivers of change have been ranked, and over 160 mechanics to address them identified, and their feasibility analysed.
MOVING delivered a broad screening of MVCs (+450) across Europe and characterised them in an inventory. It also analysed 23 MVCs to identify their contribution to mountain vitality and provide upgrading strategies. These MVCs were clustered to be compared and benchmarked. An analysis of the trade-offs and challenges they face, and the solutions to overcome them has been delivered.
A foresight analysis of the trends by 2050 has been done, identifying 4 archetypes and 30 flagship strategic options to improve resilience and sustainability.
Finally, MOVING showed that most EU policies and strategies fail to address the unique challenges mountain areas face or are not adapted to the needs and expectations of local stakeholders, reducing their impact and effectiveness. MOVING proposed a Policy Roadmap based on 8 building blocks and an intervention logic that connects the specific needs of mountain communities with potential policy actions. The MOVING Policy Toolkit presents different techniques and tools to identify the needs of mountain areas and craft policies adapted to them in lay language and visual manner to be used by mountain (rural) stakeholders.