Mountain Futures Conference
- Nurturing seeds for change in the Anthropocene
1 to 4 March 2016, Kunming, China
The term Anthropocene recognizes that humans have become the dominant agents of environmental change. In keeping with the tendency to focus on the negative effects of human activities, the Anthropocene is generally viewed as an epoch of environmental destruction and degradation as consequences of human meddling. This view should not blind us to the positive potential of human transformations.
Discussion of the Anthropocene has so far been more global than local. The role of specific environments including mountains has not often been considered, nor has there been adequate dialogue on regional and local environmental and social implications. This inhibits our ability to think of positive opportunities for mountains and the people who live in them.
There are persuasive reasons for taking a special look at mountains in the Anthropocene. The highlands are home to twelve percent of the world’s population and half the global biodiversity hotspots. They are the sources of vital waters and important crops. They provide refuge for endangered species and cultures. They are hotspots of global environmental change, with adverse but also potential positive consequences. Mountains are areas of environmental and cultural diversity; they may serve as repositories of global learning and testing grounds for adaptations to global change.
Themes
Global Assessment of Climate Change
Mountain ecosystems are vulnerable to climate. A global assessment of how climate change has impacted and will impact mountains in the future can be explored by collecting cases of positive adaptations to the Anthropocene from the mountainous regions in Asia and rest of the world.
Water Governance
Water is increasingly becoming a political resource triggering transboundary conflicts and governance issues. Sharing benefits from socioeconomic development, efficient and effective participation and access to open information are the foundations for good water governance.
Mainstreaming the Marginalized
Mountains are home to a tremendous set of marginalized traditions: knowledge, language, belief systems, settlement patterns, livelihoods and land use practices. Yet, traditional ways of coping with environmental conditions are proving inadequate in the face of intensifying environmental and social change. How can we reduce barriers for the vulnerable: women, ethnic minorities, the elderly, and children?
Dynamic Sustainability
How do culturally diverse mountain people adapt? What are the important natural and social patterns for climate, water, goods, energy, settlement, livelihoods and land use? We are exploring hybrid alternatives combining scientific research and civic knowledge that will make a positive and sustainable difference in local livelihoods.
Impact
The Conference aims to explore and assess the role of mountains in the Anthropocene, and to develop plausible visions for mountains in the future.
We hope to:
· Solicit, explore and develop visions of mountain futures that are socially and ecologically desirable, just and sustainable in the Anthropocene.
· Stress the importance of mountains and the people living in them. Share knowledge that leads to solutions.
· Facilitate dialogue on adaptation to global change among multiple montane stakeholders.
· Bridge scientific research and practices on ground, and establish partnerships for regional cooperation in adaptation, water governance, and risk management in mountain regions.
· Provide guidance to develop indicators for the implementation of the sustainable development goals related to water, biosphere and other mountain related components.
Why attend?
· Meet: over 200 participants from all over the world, including researchers, stakeholders and globally renowned experts on mountain environments.
· Grow: bring your ‘seeds of change’ for a good Anthropocene to the conference and bring them to fruition.
· Present: scientists and practitioners selected by conference scientific committee will present and discuss their work.
· Get noticed: We strongly encourage early-career scientists to submit creative presentations (such as, but not limited to, visual art and documentaries).
Presentation will be selected based on submission quality. All conference proceedings and scientific papers will be published and made available online.
Call for Seeds:
This conference invites anyone with an interest in the mountains to register their ‘seeds of change’: grass-root practices and ideas that show the positive potential of human activity in the environment. Together we will nurture these seeds to seedlings and eventually to robust trees.
Register your seeds now on www.mountainfutures.org
Call for Proposals for Sessions:
Each Session will be 90 minutes, and can be organized at the discretion of the session organizer, and can be in a “roundtable” type format, or simply organized to present a set of related oral presentations, but should be focused on presenting or discussing “seed of change’: grass-roots practices and ideas that show the positive potential of human activity in the environment.” Oral presentation sessions should consist of at least 4-6 oral presentations. Roundtable session can be organized at the discretion of the organizer, e.g. brief introductory statement (5 min) by the participants, then a series of questions to discuss, or roundtable discussion.
· The Session organizer will be responsible for selecting and reviewing the presentations.
· Abstracts of oral presentations accepted for Sessions will be published online and in the Conference Proceedings.
· Following the end of the Conference, selected presentations will be considered for publication in a special issue on Mountain Futures.
Submission of Session Proposals:
Proposals to organize Sessions should include the following information:
· The Title of the Session
· The name, affiliation, mailing address and e-mail address(es) of the proposer(s)
· Brief Abstract (not exceeding 250 words) describing the session, e.g. the topic, focus, or purpose, and/or relevance to Mountain Futures conference themes.
*Any proposals submitted after this date will be selected based on the availability of presentation sessions
Call for Submission of Abstracts for Oral:
Each oral presentation will be about 10-15 minutes, with some time for questions, or discussion at the end. Oral presentations should generally have some relevance to the theme: “seed of change’: grass-roots practices and ideas that show the positive potential of human activity in the environment.”
· The Conference organizer will be responsible for selecting and reviewing the presentations.
· Powerpoint presentations should be submitted to organizers at least one day in advance.
· Abstracts of oral presentations accepted for Sessions will be published online and in the Conference Proceedings.
· Following the end of the Conference, selected presentations will be considered for publication as a full paper in a special issue on Mountain Futures.
Submission:
Abstract submissions should include the following information:
· The title of the Oral Presentation
· The name, affiliation, mailing address and e-mail address(es) of the proposer(s)
· Abstract: A description of the topic of the presentation (not exceeding 250 words)
* Any proposals submitted after this date will be selected based on the availability of presentation sessions
Please send your submission to: Salim muhammad :salim@mail.kib.ac.cn or Carly Biondi:cmb4292@gmail.com
The deadline for all submissions for Chinese participants is Feb. 8, 2016.
Practical info
For whom: scientists and stakeholders from all over the world with an interest in mountains.
Deadlines: Participation confirmation--- 1st JAN – 8nd FEB 2016
When & where: 1–4 March 2016 at the Expo Garden Hotel in Kunming, China (昆明世博花园酒店).
Confirmation: Confirm your attendance at http://mountainfutures.org/signup/
Contact:
Mr. Muhammad Asad Salim Salim@mail.kib.ac.cn
Ms. Carly Biondi cmb4292@gmail.com
Ms. Yufang Su suyufang@mail.kib.ac.cn
Ms. Haiya Zhang zhanghaiya@mail.kib.ac.cn
Location: 
