IPSI Collaborative Activity Proposal Form

The following form is for use when submitting proposed IPSI Collaborative Activities for consideration by theIPSI Steering Committee. See the Collaborative Activity Guidelines on p. 3 for more information.
Please return the completed form to the IPSI Secretariat (isi@unu.edu).
IPSI Collaborative Activities are the activities that shall be undertaken by more than one IPSI member
and constitute an important part of IPSI activities with the purpose of fostering collaboration within theIPSI membership and implementing the IPSI Strategy and Plan of Action. The IPSI Collaborative
Activities shall be developed and implemented with the endorsement of the Steering Committee inaccordance with the Collaborative Activity Guidelines. Resource mobilization for IPSI collaborative
activities shall be the responsibility of the implementing members in principle. – IPSI Operational
Guidelines, Chapter 5.4
Date of Application:

April 17, 2020

Project title:
International Symposium on Mountain Studies: Satoyama Mountainscapes.
Collaborating organizations (IPSI members):（*Please underline the leading organization)
Neotropical Montology Collaboratory, Department of Geography, the University of Georgia, Athens. USA
Department of Plant Production and Engineering Projects, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Other contributing organization(s) (including IPSI non-members):
International Geographical Union (IGU), Commission of Mountain Studies.
Institute of Geography, National Autonomous University of Mexico. Mexico, D.F.
Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Mountain Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
Department of Geography, University of Istanbul, Turkey
Expected term (e.g. 1 January 2014 – 31 December 2015):
1 June 2020 – 31 October 2021.
IPSI strategic objective(s) addressed (tick all that apply; see p. 3 for more details):
X1. Increase knowledge and understanding of SEPLS
2. Address direct and underlying causes responsible for the decline or loss of SEPLS

X

3. Enhance benefits from SEPLS

X

4. Enhance human, institutional and sustainable financial capacities

Continued on next page.

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Description of the activity:
Please provide as much information as possible on:• Background• Activities (including site locations if applicable)• Expected outcomes• Actors and task sharing• How the activity relates to the IPSI Strategy and IPSI Plan of Action• Resources, funding• Monitoring and reporting•Background
The Satoyama approach for mountain conservation has been developed successfully to instill the notionof socioecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) in the sustainability of mountain communities
not only in Japan, Spain and the USA, but also worldwide, following the Japanese concept of the mountainvillage system. The University of the United Nations (UNU) in Tokyo has implemented an International Programof the Satoyama Initiative (IPSI) to apply the typical Japanese approach of mountain villagers to protect theirlifestyle and traditions.
From our perspective, mountain systems are the intrinsic archetype to understand space and place withthe predicament of the third dimension. The mountainscape is also the meta-geographical cognitive frontier ofancestral, historical and modern societies that have delved notions of national identity, regional specificities andglobal provision of ecosystem services, including food hubs, art nodes and the domestication of wild products,
and other nature benefits to people for societal wellbeing. Prime examples of sacred mountains and ancestral
practices are still observable in Japan, Spain, the United States of America and elsewhere. As mountains areconceived as socio-ecological production landscapes, their dynamic and complex presses and pulses exert both
permanent and ephemeral influences on the outcome of sustainability scenarios through different drivers.
Therefore, adaptation and resilience to global environmental change is better understood with insights from thetransdisciplinary science of Montology. As a crosscutting theme, we need to offer to the larger scientificcommunity, with special emphasis to montologists the international forum to discuss new ways of looking at
mountain studies in its different forms with distinct emphases under the umbrella notion of the Satoyama.
•Activities (including site locations if applicable)
This successful model should be communicated to the general public and shared among mountainscholars and conservation practitioners that are represented in the Commission of Mountain Studies of theInternational Geographical Union (IGU) and in the Mountain Specialists of the World Commission of Protected
Areas (WCPA) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). We are suggesting three core
activities that could reinforce academic interest and scholarly production of the socio-ecological production
landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) and bring to the fore of scientific communication in relation to sustainable andregenerative development: An international symposium on mountain studies; a distinguished annual lecture series
on Montology, and a virtual platform of experiential exchange or conversatory on Satoyama Mountainscapes.
1. The International Symposium on Mountain Studies: Satoyama Mountainscapes will take place inIstanbul, Turkey at the Istanbul University campus, in August 17-21, 2021at the 34th International
Geography Conference.
a. With the revamped Commission of Mountain Studies (CMS) recently created within IGU, there
is a new thrust towards making mountain sustainable development and biocultural heritage
preservation present in the policy agenda and the geographical priorities for education andresearch. The CMS Steering Committee decided to organize an International Symposium of2

Mountain Studies: Satoyama Mountainscapes to underscore the importance of a better
understanding of these socioecological systems around the world and to establish the researchhorizon needed to cope with global issues, such as climate change, risk reduction and hazards
management, lifescape transformation in the rural-urban conundrum, and responses of mountains
for food security and sovereignty, poverty alleviation and generational equity futures, including
educational attainment, environmentally-friendly employment and responsible markets.
2. In the second week of October every year, at the UNU campus, at the USC campus and at UGA campus.
a. With the coordination of the Neotropical Montology Collaboratory of UGA, we would like toinstitute a distinguished annual lecture on Satoyama Mountainscapes to be held on a rotatingbasis in Tokyo, in Santiago de Compostela and in Atlanta, on to allow diversity inclusion ofscientific disciplines of mountain studies and sharing of academic experiences and researchmethodologies.
3. On a continuous basis, with “virtual coffees” every other montha. Open forum with organized videoconferences to discuss case-studies experiences andmethodological innovations that could reinforce the Satoyama approach•

Expected outcomes-With the realization of the International Symposium we will increase international knowledge andunderstanding of SEPLS via presentations at the IGU’s 34th International Congress of Geography, andaddress the causation of decline or loss of biocultural diversity as well as ecological and socio-economic
benefits from SEPLS-With the distinguished annual lecture, we plan to enhance the human, institutional and sustainable financial
capacities for the implementation of the Satoyama Initiative in the long term-With the bimonthly “virtual coffee” we will gain understanding of the current state of research andmethodological innovations needed to reaffirm the Satoyama approach not only from theoretical frameworks
or elders’ knowledge, but also from practitioners’ input and young researchers’ findings.
-The editor-in-chief of the Journal of Mountain Science has agreed to include the selected papers presented atthe International Symposium on Mountain Studies: Satoyama Mountainscapes as an special issue, and has
committed her participation in Istanbul. We are also considering approaching to Pirineos, the Journal of
Mountain Ecology to request for the same special outcome as Special Issue.
–The Distinguished Annual Lecture will complement the selected annual lectures previously held at theUniversity of Georgia by the Neotropical Montology Collaboratory. The requested funds will cover airfare
and hotel/meals, and we expect the local universities to contribute with travel arrangements, local venue,
publicity and dissemination materials.
–The Satoyama Mountainscape network will favor the integration of scholars working on the topics ofSEPLS and will be joined by the members of the Commission of Mountain Studies as well as the recentlyformed Latin American and Caribbean Mountains Research Network, thus increasing the reach of theSatoyama Initiative to mountain scholars and researchers.

•Actors and task sharing
The realization of the International Symposium of Mountain Studies: Satoyama Mountainscapes will bringthe collaborative effort of the scientific units of several universities (i.e., UNU, USC, UGA, Tsukuba,UNAM, UTJ, and UIT) in the preparation, recruitment, execution and dissemination of results. F. Sarmiento(UGA) will be the co-PI to coordinate the International Symposium via de IGU’s CMS and the programmingof the Annual Distinguished Lecture. E. Díaz (USC) will be the co-PI to coordinate the bimonthly “virtualcoffee” networking activity. The Neotropical Montology Collaboratory will serve as the contact point for theIPSI Secretariat.

•How the activity relates to the IPSI Strategy and IPSI Plan of Action
This awareness-raising, networking and capacity building on the research front of mountain studies under theumbrella framework of Satoyama Mountainscapes fits very well into the IPSI Strategy, but adhering to atleast 3 of the 4 most important strategic objectives, namely increasing the understanding of SEPLS,
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addressing the causality of biocultural diversity loss, and enhancing the existing capacities for theimplementation of the Satoyama Initiative at large. One of the sectors that have not adequately been
represented in IPSI thus far, other than NGOs, local think-tanks, community groups or local government
officials, is the scientists. With this proposal, we plan to energize the scientific front of the Satoyama
Initiative.
•Resources, funding
We are having the physical resources from each of the institutions included in the proposal and their personalcommitment to make it happen for the 34th International Congress of Geography in Istanbul. The Universityof Georgia is contributing with a matching seed fund of US$3,500.00 according with the following estimatedbudget of the $18,500.00 funding scenario:

With the US$18,500.00 we plan to energize the participation of mountain scholars to attend theinternational symposium, start the Annual Distinguished Lecture on Satoyama Mountainscapes and have thebimonthly networking meeting with the following budget:• Coordination and Symposium/Lecture administration: ..……….........$3,500• Subsidies for Registration costs at the 34th IGU Congress…...……....$2,000• Subsidies for Travel to the 34th IGU Congress: …………………...…$8,000• Distinguished Annual Lecture logistics………………………………$2,000• Networking administration ………………………….……………....$1,500• Editing and Montology publication charges ………………….……...$1,000
Total of project execution ………………………..……...……………….……$18,500
Total requested from IPSI …………………..……...………….………....…...$15,000
Total contribution match from UGA …………………………………………...$3,500•

Monitoring and reporting
Monitoring of the project will be coordinated by the Commission of Mountain Studies of the International
Geographic Union and the IPSI Secretariat as needed.
As requested by the guidelines, we will provide a Progress Report by December 31st 2020, and will provide aFinal Report at the end of the project at the end of October 2021.

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