Cordula Ott

Mountains and Climate Change: A Global Concern

Abstract Editors note: The text of this article originally appeared as the final chapter of a brochure entitled Mountains and Climate Change—From Understanding to Action, prepared at the Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Switzerland, for presentation by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) at a side event at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on 12 December 2009. Chapters of the brochure deal with various aspects of climate change and its impact in mountain regions. In light of the significance of the Copenhagen COP 15 conference, the editors of this publication believe MRDs readers will be interested in reading this summary written from the perspective of Swiss researchers and development experts. The full brochure may be viewed and downloaded at www.cde.unibe.ch/Research/MA_Re.asp

Will International Pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals Alleviate Poverty in Mountains

Abstract Since September 2000, when world leaders agreed on time-bound, measurable goals to reduce extreme poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and disease while fostering gender equality and ensuring environmental sustainability, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have increasingly come to dominate the policy objectives of many states and development agencies. The concern has been raised that the tight timeframe and financial restrictions might force governments to invest in the more productive sectors, thus compromising the quality and sustainability of development efforts. In the long term, this may lead to even greater inequality, especially between geographical regions and social strata. Hence people living in marginal areas, for example in remote mountain regions, and minority peoples risk being disadvantaged by this internationally agreed agenda. Strategies to overcome hunger and poverty in their different dimensions in mountain areas need to focus on strengthening the economy of small-scale farmers, while also fostering the sustainable use of natural resources, taking into consideration their multifunctionality.

Concepts and Practices for the Democratisation of Knowledge Generation in Research Partnerships for Sustainable Development.

In response to the development and climate crisis of the Anthropocene, world leaders at the 2015 UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York have reconfirmed the urgency of a sustainability transformation. This paper shows how a strong conceptualisation of sustainability can guide scientists in contributing to this transformation. The Eastern and Southern Africa Partnership Programme (1999–2015) offers experiences in framing and implementing research as a transdisciplinary future-forming process. Its procedural, reflexive programme design proved adequate to support the democratisation of knowledge generation. This fostered evidence-based contextualised knowledge and corresponding institutions, and strengthened the future-forming capacity of all partners involved.

Knowledge and integration for sustainable development: Eastern and Southern Africa Partnership Programme

ESAPP’s strategic goal: ‘knowledge societies’ capable of addressing SD needs and counterbalancing growing socio-economic disparities and the enduring dominance of Northern science. ESAPP invests in institutional and human capacity building (CB) for all partners and stakeholders involved, and in the democratisation of production of and access to knowledge (TD). This has proved a means to support equal power and decision-making structures, and a more Southdetermined development within and beyond the programme.

Innovation für eine bessere Zukunft: Die Nicht-Nachhaltigkeit der Schweiz erfordert ein Umdenken

Die Auseinandersetzung mit den Innovationsprozessen kann neue, zusatzliche Ansatzpunkte fur das Begrenzen von Schaden und fur die nachhaltige Entwicklung generieren. Der Beitrag soll aufzeigen, weshalb ein neues Verstandnis und eine Neuausrichtung im Umgang mit Innovation und deren Forderung notwendig sind.

Status and Future of Mountain Research: Results of two Surveys by the Research Initative of the Mountain Partnership

This report contains the results of two e-surveys conducted in 2005 and 2006 on the status and future of mountain research, as it presents itself within the Mt. Partnership. The surveys are the main outcome of a meeting of the leading members of the Mountain Partnership’s Research Initiative in 2004.