Issue 24
February 2007
The Mountain Partnership Newsletter
'Peak to Peak' is an opportunity to keep you up-to-date with the latest news, activities and events related to the Mountain Partnership. This monthly newsletter, prepared by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, is sent by e-mail to all members and other interested partners and can be read on-line at www.mountainpartnership.org. Help us share news, information and features with members by sending a message to: info@mountainpartnership.org.
Membership
As of February 2007, there are 142 members of the Mountain Partnership: 47 countries, 15 IGOs and 80 major group organizations. For information on their activities and contact details, visit the Members section of the Mountain Partnership Web site.
Update on Partnership Activities
Mountain Products
The Mountain Products Programme -- implemented by FAO within the context of the Sustainable Livelihoods Initiative of the Mountain Partnership -- aims to improve the livelihoods of mountain communities through promoting enterprise development in mountain regions that is environmentally and socially responsible and based on local high-quality, high-value products. In November 2006, the Programme launched a project (with funding from Italian Cooperation) to support improved production, processing and marketing of saffron from Morocco. This project builds on a previous value chain analysis of promising mountain products from the Anti-Atlas region. The training of the members of the saffron cooperative will be carried out by the staff of local partner NGO, Migrations et Développement (a Mountain Partnership member), in collaboration with local authorities, the national agriculture research institute and PlaNet Finance. Initial contacts have also been made with the eco-gastronomic organization Slow Food which is interested in working with the Mountain Products Programme to establish a Presidium for saffron in Morocco. A Slow Food Presidium is a local project that works to improve the infrastructure of artisan food production and aims to guarantee a viable future for traditional food by stabilizing production techniques, establishing stringent production standards, and promoting local consumption. The final decision by Slow Food will be made following a field visit to the saffron cooperative scheduled for 2007.
Notably, the Mountain Products Programme also obtained funding in December 2006 from the Livelihoods Support Programme (funded by the Department for International Development- DFID/UK) to carry out training in the improved management of natural resources and to provide improved post-harvest technology to small-holder coffee farmers in the Cajamarca region, Peru. This initiative also builds on a value chain analysis of specialty coffee from this area, carried out in 2005, which focussed on training farmers in integrated management of the coffee plot and the installation of a demonstration site for coffee quality control. For further information about all activities in the Mountain Products Programme, please contact Alexia Baldascini, Manager, at: alexia.baldascini@fao.org or visit the Mountain Products Programme Web site.
Broadband
The Mountain Partnership Secretariat has formulated a proposal for a broadband communications study to be carried out by close collaborator Mountain Forum in 2007, within the framework of the Mountain Partnership. The overall aim of the broadband study is to assess and increase awareness of the potential for (of?)broadband communications to contribute to socio-economic development in areas of low connectivity through the reduction of the digital divide between mountain and lowland areas. This activity started in 2005 during which a desk study (link) was completed by two volunteers working in the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, under the technical supervision of two professors from Rome based universities. This next phase will focus on the collection and analysis of data in the field and take place in two mountain areas at differing stages of development in two different regions (e.g. Romania, as well as either India/Nepal or Peru). It would result in the preparation of a document including the main findings of the two surveys, their analysis and proposals for follow-up actions; two small workshops at country/regional level to present the results of the surveys and discuss about possible measures; and a Web page about the result of this project on the Mountain Partnership Web site. For further information about this broadband activity, please contact Rosalaura Romeo, Programme Officer, Mountain Partnership Secretariat at: rosalaura.romeo@fao.org.
Research
The Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Berne, a leading member of the Research Initiative, has just released ‘The Status and Future of Mountain Research 2006’. This important document contains the results of the two CDE-led surveys conducted between 2005 and 2006 on the ‘Status of Mountain Research’ (sent to the members of the Research Initiative) and ‘What future for Mountain Research?’(sent to all members of the Mountain Partnership). The surveys themselves were the main outcome of a meeting of the leading members of the Research Initiative at the 2nd Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership (Cusco, Peru, October 2004).
The ‘Status of Mountain Research’ isconceived as a basis for discussion among all members of the Mountain Partnership on the way forward in mountain research and is now available on-line on the Mountain Partnership Web site. You are invited to post your feedback and comments on the report and the results presented. As follow-up, CDE have sent leading members of the Research Initiative proposals for possible next steps which include a face-to-face workshop; the development of a platform statement by Partnership (members?) in efforts to define a commonly agreed vision, principles, themes and standards for research in mountains; an annual policy brief on key research findings, jointly published by interested Partnership research institutions; or a major publication. For further information about this report and activities under the Research Initiative, please contact Thomas Kohler, CDE at: thomas.kohler@cde.unibe.ch.
New on the Mountain Partnership
Web site
Andes Initiative. The Altiplano is one of the poorest regions in Peru and its environment one of the harshest to live in, both for humans and livestock. For the majority of families, camelids represent an important source of income and food security. This Masters thesis, ‘The Sustainable Development of the Camelid Sectors in the Peruvian Altiplano’ by Ingrid Mocaër (LUMSA University, Rome) considers the role that camelids can play in spurring development and enhancing the livelihoods of poor Altiplano communities. It also summarizes the key issues that need to be addressed to improve the production chain, from the zootechnical to the marketing aspects, including the range of fair trade Camelid products that can be promoted. Read more.
Key Documents. For the European Alps, the Alpine Convention and its protocols are the most significant basis for their preservation and international collaboration. As a member of the Mountain Partnership, the Alpine Convention is sharing information and exchanging its experiences of regional and inter-regional cooperation within Europe and beyond. This brochure, ‘International Mountain Partnerships’ (in English, French, Spanish and German) was prepared by the Secretariat to the Alpine Convention and the Austrian Ministry of Environment (during Austria’s recent presidency of the Alpine Convention). It provides an overview of the existing collaborative activities of the Convention’s member countries with the Carpathians, Caucasus and Central Asia (Tian Shan, Pamir). Read more.
News highlights from around the world
Empowering women entrepreneurs in developing countries
The Trestle Group Foundation, an organization supporting entrepreneurs in developing countries and Mountain Partnership member, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) have announced a new collaboration to provide direct support to women entrepreneurs in developing countries. Based on the foundation’s Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Partnership Program, the initiative will identify qualified women entrepreneurs in developing countries and directly connect them with business professionals in developed countries. IUCN’s global network and vast expertise will be used to identify women entrepreneurs who manufacture or provide services that are environmentally friendly. These business professionals will then help build networks, business strategies and practices that will enable the women entrepreneurs from developing countries to create new opportunities and achieve long-term success. A key aspect of this collaboration will be defining success that extends beyond the individual entrepreneur by positively impacting the local community and country, as well as the companies, organizations and individuals who participate in the programme. For further information, visit the Trestle Group Foundation Web site.
Alpine Conservation Partnership launched
Mountain Partnership members, The Mountain Institute (TMI) and the American Alpine Club (AAC) are joining forces to protect and restore fragile and endangered Alpine ecosystems around the world. In 2004, the two organizations founded the Everest Alpine Conservation and Restoration Project. Although less than three years old, the Everest program has already established the Khumbu Alpine Conservation Council, the world’s first local NGO devoted to the protection of the Alpine ecosystem, and scored various achievements including saving more that 80,000 kg of fragile shrub juniper per year that was formerly used for fuelwood, establishing a kerosene and stove depot as alternative fuel for tourists and lodges, developing new education curricula for local schools, and actively restoring de-vegetated hillsides by building high altitude nurseries and cattle-proof demonstration enclosures. This alliance between TMI and AAC was further strengthened in January 2007 when they received a $150,000 award from the Argosy Foundation to launch an Alpine Conservation Partnership that will extend their successful conservation collaboration in the Everest region to Alpine regions worldwide. The Partnership’s new project sites could include major mountains such as Kilimanjaro and Mt. Kenya (East Africa), Kangchendzonga (Nepal and India), K2 (Pakistan), Huascarán (Peru), and Aconcagua (Chile). For further information, visit the Websites of The Mountain Institute (TMI) and the American Alpine Club (AAC).
Linking Andean farmers to new markets
A new way to link Andean small-scale farmers with new urban markets has been chosen as one of the 10 finalists for UNEP’s ‘Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development (SEED) Awards’ (2007). The T’ikapapa Initiative markets specially selected and packed native Peruvian potatoes under the T’ikapapa trademark to supermarkets. It is one of several potato products promoted as such in recent years through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)-funded project coordinated by Mountain Partnership member, the International Potato Center (CIP), to revalue the Peruvian native potato and position it in the national and international market. The T’ikapapa Initiative was selected as a finalist in the SEED Awards as it represents a novel way to connect small farmers with new urban markets, helps to improve local farmers’ incomes and livelihoods and uses environmentally friendly technologies to conserve local biodiversity. Crucially, the method helps public and private groups form partnerships at all the stages of the market chain, from cultivation and production to packaging and marketing, from the farmer to the consumer. Visit the CIP Web site to read more. For further details on the UNEP SEED Awards and the selected finalists, click here.
A virtual commodities exchange in East Africa
In many rural and mountain areas, farmers lack information about where to find the best prices for their produce and they are often at the mercy of intermediaries, unsympathetic banks, and distant markets. In East Africa, help is at hand with ‘DrumNet’. Like the ‘talking drums’ that traditionally served as a telegraph in parts of Africa, DrumNet is a Web-based communications medium that supplies technical advice, financial services, and timely market information to smallholder farmers in Kenya. With support from Mountain Partnership member, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), DrumNet was launched in 2002 as a pilot project of the NGO, Pride Africa. Each of DrumNet’s rural support centres -- sometimes just a kiosk -- is equipped with a computer, dial-up capability, and a cellphone, all of which link DrumNet’s local ‘infobroker’ with the project’s database in Nairobi. Using such low-cost technologies, more farmers can make better decisions, increase productivity, and reduce poverty. Now, DrumNet is developing a new credit system to allow poor farmers to purchase crucial inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, and fencing, prior to harvest. Currently, many farmers either manage without these inputs altogether, or else they enter into unfair credit schemes in exchange for selling their produce at deflated prices. DrumNet’s simple, savings-led voucher service will make it harder to exploit these vulnerable farmers. For more information, visit the Pride Africa Web site.
Researching climate change impacts in Alpine ecosystems
Mountain Partnership member, the Mountain Studies Institute (MSI) has joined research teams around the globe in a long-term study of climate change impacts in fragile alpine ecosystems with the installation of a GLORIA (Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments) site high in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, USA. The GLORIA network, conceived by an international group of ecologists in 1996, is composed of over 30 sites in the world’s highest mountain ranges, including the Alps (Switzerland and France), Urals (Russia), Southern Andes (Chile), Mt. Burns (New Zealand), and Caucasus (Georgia). MSI’s site is one of only a handful in the United States – others are located in Glacier National Park (Montana), the Sierra Nevada (California), and the White/Inyo Mountains (California). The San Juan GLORIA project will be showcased in an exhibit on ‘Mountain Environments: Global Resources’ in the new Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum, founded by the American Alpine and Colorado Mountain Clubs. The Museum, the first of its kind in the USA, is scheduled to open in Golden, Colorado, in late 2007 or early 2008. Read more about MSI research in addressing global mountain issues by reading the latest issue of the newsletter, ‘Benchmark’ and or visiting the MSI Web site.
Funding support
Banff Mountain Grants Program
Mountain Culture at The Banff Centre, home of the world-renowned Banff Mountain Film Festival and Banff Mountain Book Festival, promotes understanding and appreciation of the world’s mountain places by creating opportunities for people to share -- and find inspiration in -- mountain experiences, ideas, and challenges. Unique in the world, the Banff Mountain Grants Program supports projects that communicate the stories of mountain landscapes as places of ecological, inspirational, and cultural value, and that celebrate the spirit of adventure. Individuals or organizations may apply for grants of up to $5000 (Canadian dollars) to fund projects that creatively interpret the environment, natural history, human heritage, arts, philosophy, lifestyle, and adventure, in and of the mountains. Projects must include a communications component (such as film, literature, photography) that brings the project before a public audience. ‘This is an unusual granting program committed to helping people share their mountain experience with a public audience,’ says Shannon O’Donoghue, acting director of Mountain Culture. The deadline for submission of grant proposals is 1 June 2007. For further information and application details, visit the Banff Mountain Grants Program site.
Past Events
Forum for Sustainable Development of Central Asian Mountain Regions: Strategies for Sustainable Use of Energy Resources for Villages (Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 22-24 November 2006)
Energy is crucial for life in mountain areas, but supplying that energy poses special challenges. Conventional energy networks, designed to serve densely populated areas, are often impractical for small, isolated mountain communities. Indeed, the cold climates of mountain regions mean that more energy is required for heating than in lowlands. Furthermore, energy requirements are growing fast as mountain dwellers seek modern appliances and local industries, especially tourism, expand. In Central Asia, heat and light have become almost a luxury in the isolated Pamir and Tien-Shan regions. Securing warmth for remote mountain villages in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and assigning responsibilities to do so were the main topics of discussion at the recent Forum for Sustainable Development of Central Asian Mountain Regions: Strategies for Sustainable Use of Energy Resources for Villages. Organized by a variety of partners in the region, including Mountain Partnership members the Alliance of Central Asian Mountain Communities (AGOCA), the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) and the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), the Forum allowed some 130 participants involved in promoting energy supply for mountains from the region and beyond to discuss a wide range of issues from the use of renewable energy resources to the need for ‘energy’ strategies for mountain villages. One of the meeting’s recommendations was the need to facilitate micro-financing from government and international partners to construct small hydropower stations, energy saving measures and alternative energy source use. The forum concluded with calls for greater information exchange and dissemination on methods of efficient energy use and cooperation. In particular, participants recommended the creation of energy committees and development of individual strategies at the local level, the development of law on renewable energy at the state level and the adaptation of the best practices and education at the international level. It was also proposed that the summarized recommendations from the Forum be included in the national energy strategies of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. For a full account of the Forum, visit the CAMP Web site.
First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians (Kiev, Ukraine, 11-13 December 2006)
The Carpathian Convention provides the framework for cooperation and multi-sectoral policy coordination, a platform for joint strategies for sustainable development, and a forum for dialogue between all stakeholders involved in the Carpathians. UNEP–Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention (UNEP Vienna ISCC), a member of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, coordinates a work programme under the Carpathian Convention and supports its interim implementation.
The First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention (COP1), organized by the UNEP-Vienna ISCC, adopted rules of procedure and financial rules of the Carpathian Convention, as well as discussed its programme of work, and importantly, its cooperation with other conventions and international bodies. In particular, the meeting signalled the strengthening of cooperation between the Alps and the Carpathians, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation between the Alpine Convention and the Carpathian Convention. This Memorandum aims at providing a durable basis for the collaboration between the bodies of the two Conventions, as well as at developing and implementing common projects. Areas for collaboration between the two Conventions include spatial planning, sustainable and integrated water and river basin management, sustainable tourism and cultural heritage and traditional knowledge. As a result of the already existing cooperation, a significant role will be played by the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention and the UNEP Vienna-ISCC who will harmonise its work with the general public and continue with its efforts for enhancing networks of protected areas in the Alps (ALPARC) and in the Carpathians (CNPA), as well as the ecological linking-up between the two mountain ranges. Both sides will intensify their collaboration within the framework of the Mountain Partnership, so as to strengthen the awareness of the importance of a sustainable development of mountain areas in Europe. The Memorandum marks a significant step forward in changing the quality of cooperation between the Alps and the Carpathians: from a focus on single activities of some Alpine states to a more long-ranging collaboration between the Conventions themselves.
In the final ‘Decisions’ of the meeting, the Conference of the Parties welcomed the cooperation with the Alpine Convention as an important contribution to the Mountain Partnership and to the Environment For Europe process and also expressed the hope that the Belgrade Conference in 2007 would underline the importance of the Convention and related initiatives of the Mountain Partnership for the protection and sustainable development of mountain regions in the world. In addition, the meeting adopted the ‘Carpathian Declaration’, which notes its appreciation of the Mountain Partnership as an important platform for cooperation and experience-sharing between mountain regions of the world.
For further information on the Carpathian Convention, please contact Harald Egerer, UNEP Vienna-ISCC at harald.egerer@unvienna.org. For further information about the Alpine Convention, please contact Wolfger Mayrhofer, Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention at: wolfger.mayrhofer@alpconv.org; or visit the Web site: www.alpconv.org.
International Human Rights Day
(global, 10 December 2006)
‘Fighting poverty as a matter of obligation, not of charity’ was the focus of 2006 Human Rights Day celebrated around the world on 10 December last year. Poverty is a cause and a product of human rights violations. People whose rights are denied -- victims of discrimination or persecution, for example -- are more likely to be poor. Generally they find it harder or impossible to participate in the labour market and have little or no access to basic services and resources. Meanwhile, the poor in many societies cannot enjoy their rights to education, health and housing simply because they cannot afford them. Mountain Partnership member, Swat Youth Front in Pakistan reports that it observed this theme on Human Rights Day with a one-day awareness-raising seminar and walk at Mingora Swat attended by more than 500 school and college students, teachers and lecturers, and representatives of civil society and local government. Find out more about Swat Youth Front and the event by visiting the Web site
International Mountain Day (global, 11 December 2006)
International Mountain Day celebrated annually on 11 December is an occasion to heighten awareness about the opportunities and challenges for mountain development, forge alliances and promote action for meaningful change in the world's mountains and highlands. Many Mountain Partnership members have told us about the events and initiatives they undertook to mark the Day and in particular highlight its theme, ‘Managing Mountain Biodiversity for Better Lives’.
• Broad Initiatives for Negros Development (BIND) spearheaded the Negros Occidental celebration of the event, which involved a trade fair of mountain products and organic crops, non-timber forest products, medicinal plants, processed food and wild and uncultivated crops, as well as a film presentation and a concert of local bands.
• International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and IUCN Nepal, together with fifteen other development and government agencies, showcased their programmes and activities at the ‘Book and Technology Fair’ in Kathmandu. They shared their mountain knowledge with a broad audience through the display of publications, photographs, posters and agro-products, and the demonstration of different types of technologies such as bio-briquetting, and solar and non-solar renewable energy technologies.
• Resources Himalaya Foundation launched a special student edition of its publication,‘Conservation Biology in Asia’ at a special ceremony in Kathmandu. As Pralad Yonzon, chair of the Resources Himalaya Foundation stated, 'We hope that such initiative may bring benefit as students are our future custodians of biodiversity and protectors of environment’. ‘Conservation Biology in Asia’, co-published by the Society for Conservation Biology Asia Section, contains 29 peer-reviewed papers and is dedicated to the 24 leading conservationists who lost their lives in the line of duty in a helicopter crash in September 2006 in eastern Nepal – Himalaya. For ordering details, please visit Resources Himalaya Foundation Web site.
• World Mountain People Association (WMPA) released a synthesis of its work and proposals emerging from its encounters with mountain communities in over 30 countries in 2006, which aim to advocate for mountain issues, and make mountain people’s voices heard and understood by the public and decision-makers. Read the press release and the synthesis of encounters on-line (in English, French and Spanish).
FAO is the lead UN coordinating agency for observance of International Mountain Day. Visit FAO’s dedicated Web site to download information and communication materials and to read case studies of how mountain biodiversity is being managed in countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America, North America and Europe. If you wish to share your experiences of International Mountain Day 2006, or post a case study, article, news or features on mountain biodiversity for this Web site, please write to: mountain.day@fao.org.
Future Events
3rd General Assembly of the African Network of Basin Organizations – ANBO (Johannesburg, South Africa, 4-7 March 2007)
The integrated water resource management in transboundary basins in Africa and beyond is the topic of the forthcoming Assembly of the African Network of Basin Organizations (ANBO). The meeting will be organized around five broad strategic topics related to the effective implementation of basin management of transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers in Africa, namely: integrated water resources management in Africa: case studies; international initiatives and facilities for water in Africa; statutes, responsibilities and processes for the creation of transboundary basin organizations; preparation of management and action plans for transboundary basins and their financing; and the monitoring and information systems for transboundary basin management. For further information, programmes and papers visit the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) Web site.
Final Conference of the INTERREG IIIC PROJECT – ‘Euromountains.net’ (Turin, Italy, 8-9 March 2007)
The networking project ‘Euromountains.net’ links European mountain regions for the promotion of sustainable development and aims to identify territorial management models in mountain areas and transferable success factors on three themes: the improvement of services in mountain areas; the role of territorial authorities in developing and promoting resources and mountain quality products; and managing the fragile mountain landscape, rural environment and natural resources. The final conference of the ‘Euromountains.net’ project –- ‘Creating success together’ -- will discuss experiences from these themes and determine future scenarios for European mountains. The project, part-funded by the Interreg IIIC SUD programme, involves partners from six countries (France, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Scotland), with the technical support of Mountain Partnership member, Euromontana. In addition to partners from the project areas, the final conference will involve the European Commission and the wider European mountain community drawn from the extensive Euromontana network. Read the thematic reports and regional studies available on-line.
‘Women of the Mountains’ (Orem, Utah, USA, 7-10 March 2007)
Gender experts from around the world will gather in Utah, USA next month for an international conference entitled, ‘Women of the Mountains’. The organizers aim
‘to raise awareness and mobilize support from institutions within the U.S. mountain states and global mountain entities to assist in the sustainable development of the mountain communities of the world, particularly as it applies to women and children.’ Topics to be addressed fall into six broad areas: transmitting family values, heritage and culture, health, education, economics, human trafficking and exploitation, and leadership for women. Ms Michela Zucca, representing Mountain Partnership member, the Centre for Alpine Ecology (CAE) will be one of the speakers attending the event, while Doug McGuire, Coordinator of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat will make introductory remarks at the event.The Mountain Forum, a key member of the Mountain Partnership, will also participate in the Conference with representatives from its North American and Latin American regional nodes. Visit the Conference Web site for more detailed information.
For more information on future mountain-related events around the world, browse the Mountain Calendar, managed by the Mountain Forum.
Publications
WOCAT. CTA/ UNEP/ FAO / CDE. ‘Where the land is greener’
Case studies of soil and water conservation initiatives from 20 countries around the world are showcased in this new publication by the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT). Co-published by CTA, and Mountain Partnership members, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), FAO and Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), ‘Where the land is greener' provides a detailed, illustrated analysis of the case studies under ‘technologies' and ‘approaches' and provides policy points for decision makers and donors. The publication is described as a prototype that sets new standards for the systematic documentation, evaluation and dissemination of knowledge on sustainable land management. Read more and order the book from UNEP’S official on-line bookshop, ‘Earthprint.com’.
CEPES. Case Study: Organizing a process of participation and negotiation for territorial development in mountain areas: the experience of the Huancavelica Central Area (Peru).
This case study demonstrates the use of the Participatory and Negotiated Territorial Development (PNTD) approach for local development planning and management. It was conducted in 2005 by the Peruvian Centre of Social Studies (CEPES) in the Andean department of Huancavelica, Peru, within the framework of the SARD-M Project. The PNTD approach places a value on reinforcing the links of dialogue and trust between stakeholders (local governments, sectorial and private public entities, rural communities, local organizations) and between stakeholders and institutions. Indeed, the study is carried out from the viewpoint of the stakeholders themselves and includes suggestions for the key elements necessary for strategic policies for sustainable mountain development. Read the document on the SARD-M Project Web site here.
Web site and resources
HOWTOPEDIA: Online library for practical knowledge on simple technologies
The new on-line collaborative library, HOWTOPEDIA, aims to assist small-scale sustainable development by facilitating the dissemination of appropriate technology and stimulating the use or the discovery of local resources. Supported by Practical Action and the International Network for Technical Information (INTI), HOWTOPEDIA is a simple-to-use Internet platform for the transfer of information and practical knowledge on simple technologies, i.e. technologies that require no complex machine, that are easily explainable and usable by individuals or small communities. The site encourages collaboration and knowledge exchange across borders by allowing anybody who logs in to edit the content online by using the edit button and a few syntax rules. At the moment, HOWTOPEDIA stores 175 articles (in English, French and Spanish). Read or contribute input here.
Calls for poster and presentations
Parks, Peace and Partnerships Conference 2007
Abstracts are now being accepted for oral and poster presentations for the ‘Parks, Peace and Partnerships Conference’ to be held in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada between 9-12 September 2007. This special international conference is being convened to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Waterton /Glacier International Peace Park – the first peace park in the world. The aim of the meeting is to create a gathering of international significance to discuss trends, experiences and best practices in transboundary protected areas management with a special emphasis on Peace Parks. Conference details and registration information can be found here.