Scholarship for MSc Sustainable Mountain Development
May 2013
We are glad to announce that a scholarship towards the costs of participating in the MSc is available, thanks to the generosity of Lt. Col. John Moncrieff, a keen mountaineer who passed away recently. The scholarship will pay all fees for a student to complete the MSc. It is available to candidates who have been resident for at least three years in any European country (EU/EEA).
Please click here for further details
MSc Sustainable Mountain Development student awarded dissertation prize
March 2013
Elena Ferrario, who graduated last year with the MSc in Sustainable Mountain Development, has been awarded one of the Alpine Convention's Young Scientist Awards, for her MSc thesis 'Comelico - staying or leaving?' Elena received her €1000 award at the Bolzano/Bozen Alpine Spring Festival in Italy this week.
Elena, who grew up in a small village in the Italian Alps, says “mountains have always been her passion.” She decided to return to study after ten years of work so she could expand her knowledge of mountain areas. She took up a Master’s degree in sustainable mountain development with the Centre for Mountain Studies so she could study online on a part-time basis and retain her job in France where she works on an EU-funded territorial co-operation programme.
Elena’s thesis investigated the factors which influence young mountain people to return to their valleys of origin after they left to complete higher education studies. The research also looked into policies and instruments which may attract residents to mountain areas. Elena found that job opportunities, quality of life and sense of belonging are the main reasons young people decide to return the mountains. It is hoped the results will help to inform policy in the Alpine region and could be relevant to similar regions across Europe.
Mountain Foods research leads to new European policy
February 2013
Following on from the 2006-2008 Euro-MARC Mountain Foods project, the Centre for Mountain Studies partnered with ISARA Lyon and Euromontana to deliver a second mountain foods study for the European Commission (Institute of Prospective Technological Studies) in 2012.
This research involved a review of the labelling of agricultural and food products of mountain farming, including an exploration of the options for regulating the use of the 'mountain product' term. The final report from this work was completed in November 2012, with the European Commission publishing their own report based on this work (and wider commissioned research) in February 2013.
This work represents the culmination of nearly a decade of research on mountain food products in Europe and considerable lobbying effort on the part of Euromontana, the European Association of Mountain Regions. Since the completion of this study, the European Commission has formally protected the 'mountain product' term through a new Quality Regulation which entered into force on the 3rd of January 2013. These developments are representative of increased recognition of the importance of distinguishing mountain products on the market place to ensure that mountain producers receive adequate compensation for the positive externalities their products and modes of production deliver and recognition of the constraints they face.
The newly established quality regulation establishes the conditions for the use of the term 'mountain product' and empowers the Commission to develop related criteria i.e. the extent to which animal feedstuffs can originate from outside of mountain areas.
To find out more about mountain foods and the recent legislation, visit the European Commission website.
Mountain Studies Director keynote speaker in Swedish Parliament
December 2012
Professor Martin Price, Director of the Centre for Mountain Studies at Perth College UHI, gave a presentation on 'Changing land uses in Europe's mountains areas' to an audience of 200 in the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm on 12 December.
The presentation was one of four keynotes in an international seminar on 'Sustainable land use in a changing world', organised by the Swedish All-Party Committee on Environmental Objectives. The audience included MPs, ministers and state secretaries, researchers and representatives from ministries and agencies, industry and NGOs.
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Professor Martin Price awarded the King Albert Mountain Award
September 2012
On 1 September, Professor Martin Price, Director of the Centre for Mountain Studies, was awarded a gold medal by the King Albert I Memorial Foundation. The Foundation was established in 1993 in memory of King Albert I of Belgium, a keen mountaineer. Its aim is to honour persons and institutions that have made exceptional contributions to the mountain world.
The citation for the award commends Martin’s work with international organisations, and his role as the organiser of international mountain conferences over the last two decades. It also praises his wide knowledge and editorial competence, describing this as a vital role for the mountains of the world: ‘His global interactions and contributions have been a major force in mountain research and development.’
Martin holds the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Mountain Development, and has written and edited many books contributing to the knowledge and sustainable development of mountain areas, on topics including forests, tourism, global change and interdisciplinary research.
For more information about the 2012 awards, please click here.
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First CMS E-Newsletter
June 2012
The Centre for Mountain Studies has published its first e-newsletter. These will from now on replace the printed Annual Report. The newsletters will be published bi-annually.
If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter, please email info.cms@perth.uhi.ac.uk.
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Global Change and the World's Mountains 2010
Special Issue of Mountain Research and Development
Friday, 5 August 2011
The Journal Mountain Research and Development published an issue dedicated exclusively to the Perth 2010 Conference. It contains keynotes, synthesis, and policy papers. The full texts are accessible here.
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mountain.TRIP final conference
17 November 2011, Scotland House
Rond-Point Robert Schuman 6, 1040 Bruxelles
Thursday, 22 September 2011
During the two years of mountain.TRIP, we have identified EU-funded mountain research and developed and tested various communication products which can serve a better knowledge exchange between science and practice in European mountains. The final conference will present our main findings and lessons learned. The event will also feature a multimedia fair, where practical examples of how research results can be transformed to better reach their target audience will be presented. The conferece is open to scientists, practitioners and policy makers working in the field of sustainable mountain development. For more information and to register please see www.mountaintrip.eu
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Global Change and the World's Mountains 2010
Extended abstracts now available online
Friday, 5 August 2011
All extended abstracts from the Global Change and the World's Mountains 2010 conference are now available for download (pdf format). Singe-file pdfs are available on the conference CD. If you would like to receive a copy of this CD please contact us at info.cms@perth.uhi.ac.uk.
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Twelve Postgraduate Studentships in the Research Areas of Energy & Environment and Health
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
The University of the Highlands and Islands invites applications for 12 fully funded postgraduate studentships, to be based at campuses across the UHI Partnership. These studentships are funded by the European Social Fund.
For a full list of offered project please click here.
The project on Integrated land use: exploring and testing issues surrounding farming, forests and energy in the Highlands and Islands will be co-supervised by Melanie Smith (Director of Studies), Inverness College UHI, Martin Price, (Director of the Centre for Mountain Studies) Perth College UHI and Rob Mc Morran, Perth College UHI.
For more details about this project please click here.
Subject to funding availability, additional studentships may be awarded. Studentships will begin in October/ November 2011 and are funded for 3.5 years, subject to fulfilment of eligibility criteria and suitable progress. Payments will include fees at UK/EU rates. Overseas candidates applying would be expected to meet the difference in EU/UK and International rates (the latter are currently £12,075 per annum). Applicants are expected to have at least an Honours degree at 2(i) level or equivalent.
Closing date for applications is 19th August. Interviews will be held in early September 2011.
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ECRR Climate Connections
Climate Change Research in Scotland
Friday 13 May 2011, Battleby, Perth
Call for Speakers and Poster Presentations
A one day seminar for researchers and climate change professionals, with workshops, posters and networking.
The aim is to improve co-ordination of research and highlight research outputs to policy makers and other professionals.
Speakers are invited for any of the following four themes in climate change research:
- Drivers and Pressures
- State of the Environment and Impacts
- Responses
- Communicating Research.
Poster presentations are invited for any of the following three main areas:
- Economics
- Environment
- Society
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Managing Alpine Future II
“Inspire and drive sustainable mountain regions”
24 February 2011
The second international conference “Managing Alpine Future II” will be organised by alpS in Innsbruck (21-23 November 2011) and will be co-hosted by the University of Innsbruck and the Institute for Mountain Research: Man and Environment of the Austrian Academy of Science.
Successful adaptation to the challenges of global climate change and its effect on complex human-environment systems in mountain regions necessitates effective cooperation and exchange of international scientists, experts and practitioners. MAF II will again provide an ideal platform of global span and interdisciplinary scope.
Call for Abstracts: Deadline 1. March 2011
For further information, registration and submission of abstracts please go to www.alpinefuture.com
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Evidence on Land Reform Act Research to the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs and Environment Committee
23 February 2011
Dr Calum Macleod, CMS's Deputy Director, and colleagues gave further evidence regarding their report on implementation of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 to the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs and Environment Committee meeting on February 9th 2011.
You can view the evidence session here or read a transcript of the session here.
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Centre for Mountain Studies staff awarded £5000 for research
10 February 2011
Jayne Glass and Rob Mc Morran (Centre for Mountain Studies) have been
awarded a £5000 Innovation Voucher by the Scottish Funding Council to carry out a sustainability assessment of four community-owned estates in the Highlands and Islands.
Working in partnership with the North Harris Trust, the Knoydart Foundation, the Assynt Foundation and Stòras Uibhist over the next few months, the two researchers will provide the four estates with robust evidence on how the management of these estates contributes to wider sustainability goals.
The sustainability assessment will be carried out using the ‘Opportunities for Sustainable Estates Toolkit’, which was developed by land management stakeholders between 2008 and 2010, and facilitated by Jayne Glass as part of her PhD research at the Centre for Mountain Studies.
The research forms part of the wider ‘Sustainable Estates for the 21st Century’ project, which has been studying a range of topics concerning estate management in Scotland’s uplands.
New module on Sustainable Deer Management to be available soon!
20 January 2011
A new module on Sustainable Deer Management will be available on the Managing Sustainable Mountain Development and Managing Sustainable Rural Development MSc streams and for continuing professional development (CPD) very soon!
Deer management represents a key issue within sustainable land management and rural development generally in Scotland. In recent decades a move away from management of deer solely for sporting purposes has occurred on many estates in Scotland – incorporating a switch in emphasis from one of maintaining high deer densities and managing deer separately to forestry towards considerably lowering deer densities and managing deer in a more integrated way which follows an ‘ecosystem management’ or ‘sustainable deer management’ perspective. In conjunction with this changing emphasis a new postgraduate module is under development at the Centre for Mountain Studies on sustainable deer management. This module will address the multiple facets of sustainable deer management within a sustainable rural development context, aiming to unite both the sporting and commercial elements of deer management and the environmental or conservation-based approaches to deer management evident in the Scottish Highlands. The new module offers an exciting opportunity for those wishing to learn about applied deer management in Scotland, as well as achieving academic recognition for those already practising sustainable deer management.
The module will be available through the existing UHI MSc streams ‘Managing Sustainable Mountain Development’ and ‘Managing Sustainable Rural Development’, as well as being available as a standalone module for those wishing to take the course as part of their continuing professional development (CPD). The module will be designed to complement existing qualifications in gamekeeping and wildlife management available through UHI’s North Highland College in Thurso. The development of the module is to be led by Dr Rob Mc Morran and supported by a collaborative team, which include representatives from North Highland College, the John Muir Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland. The input of the private sector is also being sought through the Association of Deer Management Groups and other bodies. The module is planned as running for the first time as a CPD module and as an optional module on existing MSc streams either in Semester 1 (From September 2011) or 2 (From January 2012) of the 2011-2012 academic year. A finalised module descriptor will be available on the MSc page of the CMS website very soon. Watch this space!
If you have any further queries on this module contact Rob Mc Morran at:
Robert.mcmorran@perth.uhi.ac.uk
Phone: 01738 877757/0131 6299852
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10th Anniversary Celebration of the
Centre for Mountain Studies at Perth College UHI
Colin Prior, one of the world’s leading outdoor photographers, is presenting 'Mountains of Inspiration’ at Perth Concert Hall on Wednesday 19 January at 7.30pm. Colin has established an international reputation as a freelance professional photographer, with his critically acclaimed images including many panoramic scenes from mountain ranges around the world.
Other speakers at the event include Perth College UHI Principal, Dr Thomas Moore, and Dr John Francis, Vice Chair of the UK National Commission for UNESCO Scotland. Tickets cost £8 (£5 for Perth College UHI staff and students and Royal Scottish Geographical Society members), and are available from Horsecross. Call 01738 621031 or visit www.horsecross.co.uk.
Please click here for the anniversary poster.
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Post Legislative Scrutiny of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003
1 October 2010
In April 2010 the Centre for Mountain Studies, in partnership with the UHI Centre for Remote and Rural Studies, Rural Analysis Associates and Derek Flyn, was commissioned to evaluate implementation of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 on behalf of the Scottish Parliament's Rural Affairs and Environment Committee.
The project, led by Dr Calum Macleod, the Centre's Deputy Director, focussed on the access rights, community right to buy and crofting community right to buy contained in the Act. The final report and executive summary of the research have now been published on the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee's webpages and can be accessed here.
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Europe's ecological backbone: recognising the true value of our mountains
20 September 2010
In 2003/2004, Prof Martin Price - Director of the Centre for Mountain Studies - was the scientific coordinator of the first major integrated study on Europe's mountains, commissioned by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional Policy.
Since then, there has been a considerable increase in the availability of European-level data which can be analysed to present the current situation in the continent's mountain areas. In this context, from 2008 to 2010, he coordinated an integrated assessment of Europe's mountains for the European Environment Agency in cooperation with the European Topic Centre for Land Use and Spatial Information (ETC-LUSI).
The report, "Europe's ecological backbone: recognising the true value of our mountains" provides a comprehensive integrated assessment of the current status of, and trends relating to, the environment and sustainable development of the mountains of Europe, in order to inform the implementation and development of relevant policies.
The report can be found here.
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International conference: ‘Global Change and the World's Mountains’
Perth, Scotland, 26-30 September 2010
The international conference organised by the UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Mountain Development at the Centre for Mountain Studies at Perth College UHI, in collaboration with the Mountain Research Initiative (MRI), a joint project of the International Human Dimensions of Global Change Programme (IHDP) and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation is expecting 460 participants from 59 countries.
The conference aims to bring together leading scientists and others working in, and concerned with, mountain areas around the world in order to:
- present, evaluate and synthesise progress in our understanding of global change in mountain regions since 2005;
- work proactively on a global agenda for research and action relating to global change and mountain regions, taking into consideration global assessment and policy processes, such as those relating to the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, as well as the consideration of mountains by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in 2012, 20 years after the Rio Earth Summit.
For further information and updates about the conference, please visit the conference website.
We look forward to seeing you in Perth!
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Jayne Glass - Research Student of the Year at UHI
14 July 2010
CMS PhD student Jayne Glass has been named the research student of the year at UHI, the prospective University of the Highlands and Islands.
For more details about Jayne and her work please click here.
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Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the Cairngorms National Park Authority started at CMS
01 July 2010
The CMS has started a short Knowledge Transfer Partnership in collaboration with the Cairngorms National Park and with support from the Scottish Government.
The main goal of the Partnership is to engage recent and ongoing research with practitioners, communities, landowners and other stakeholders in the Park Area and set up a process for knowledge transfer from knowledge providers (researchers) to users on the ground. We are planning to achieve this through setting up a web-presence for knowledge transfer, improve available materials (on web) on research activities, active institutions, stakeholders, organise a public event to engage and link research and practice in the Park and support the Park Authority in preparing their new Management Plan.
For more information on this project and how you can participate please click here or contact our Knowledge Exchange Associate, Catalina Munteanu.
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Professor Martin Price wins teaching award for Most Innovative Lecturer
28 May 2010
CMS Director, Martin Price has been voted most innovative lecturer by UHI (University of the Highlands and Islands) students for teaching the MSc online Module Managing Sustainable Mountain Development on environmental and societal issues in mountain areas.