More than 70 % of Japan’s land is mountains with forests, where important environmental issues are progressing, including extreme events with natural hazards due to global warming, the conservation of biodiversity with local economic development, and increasing tourism demand due to globalization. Toward a comprehensive understanding of mountain sciences and the development of young generations, the Master’s Degree Program of Mountain Studies was started in Japan in April 2017 through the cooperation of four national universities (Tsukuba Univ., Shinsyu Univ., Sizuoka Univ., and Yamanashi Univ., http://www.life.tsukuba.ac.jp/~sangaku/en/index.html). Thirty-five students entered the program in April 2018. The program opened a domestic workshop in Nagano last December, where more than 100 posters were presentation. The curriculum consists of (1) intensive lectures and field work in core subjects where all the students must attend, and (2) applied subjects (lectures and experiments), specialized at each university, where students can join by remote systems. Some sessions are conducted by invited speakers or as special seminars. Students need at least 30 credits and the submission of a master’s thesis under multiple supervisors. Two years after the establishment of the program, several issues have been recognized, such as problems of remote education systems, adjustment of students’ needs and program policies, securing human resources and budgets, standards of theses quality, etc. Recently, similar educational programs by the sensorium of multiple universities have been established. On this occasion, we would like to share information regarding the common problems and discuss the challenging issue of achieving “international standards of mountain study curriculum.”

The Master’s Degree Program of Mountain Studies started in Japan in April 2017 through the cooperation of four national universities (Tsukuba Univ., Shinsyu Univ., Sizuoka Univ., and Yamanashi Univ., http://www.life.tsukuba.ac.jp/~sangaku/en/index.html) . The poster presents the outline of the objectives, cubiculum, and uniqueness of each university courses. Also, the problems and challenges of the ongoing program are introduced and shared with the audiences in the hopes of cultivation oversea partnership.

This study involved the successive clarification of the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and fieldwork teaching practices for catchment and river management (CRM) in Geography Teacher Education. The research was developed as a exploratory study teaching Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal where I teach Geography Education to teachers-in-training. The study unfolded as three phases which provided the developing process for clarifying a pedagogical landscape for CRM in the Geography curriculum. The study developed through an analysis of content knowledge in the existing curriculum (phase 1), to lecture delivery and the opening up of PCK (phase 2), to an analysis of student pedagogical engagement with the topic on teaching practice (phase 3). Data were generated via the teaching and learning interactions in this three-phase progression that included reflection with student teachers involved in the teacher education programme. The analysis covered new environmental knowledge, social-ecological systems, sustainability competencies and pedagogy, all of which are essential reflexive contexts for the research process towards the development of a progressive, sustainability-oriented process of teacher education. This nexus of concerns (PCK, systems thinking and sustainability practices) is necessary for the effective teaching of CRM within a contemporary social-ecological-systems (SES) and complexity science perspective, which is characterising integrated water management systems in South Africa and globally. The research developed as an investigative study that was undertaken to contribute new knowledge for teacher education practice in higher education in South Africa. Here the intension was to progressively explore the alignment of curriculum content knowledge, teaching practices and sustainability concerns in Geography Education.

An encapsulation of the key findings derived from PhD research on the pedagogy of catchment and river management in a prominent Drakensberg valley, South Africa.

Following an extensive literature review, it was found that there was a need for the development of knowledge and pedagogy for the teaching of catchment and river management (CRM) in Geography Teacher Education. CRM is referenced with, and for, new environmental knowledge, social-ecological system thinking, sustainability competencies and pedagogy. It was found that an integration of all of these factors are essential if teachers are to be adequately prepared for teaching CRM within a wider integrated water resource management (IWRM) framework that takes full account of the nature and complexity of catchment and river basin management in South Africa. Data were generated by an analysis of school curricula, lectures that were given to the students on CRM, and student fieldwork. The importance of the systemic nature and complexity of CRM has become more and more apparent due to the prevalence of longer and more critical droughts across the country, and this was also borne out by the long term PhD research.

The University of the Highlands and Islands has offered a unique online MSc in Sustainable Mountain Development since 2004. The MSc has been an activity of hte UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Mountain Development since 2009, and available globally since 2012. This presentation will describe the history and context of the course, its structure and teaching team, and statistics regarding its students and graduates. Of particular note is a high degree of flexibility for students in terms of both participation and exit awards; and an increasing interest in taking certain modules for continuing professional development.

Why does the study of mountains attract attention around the world? What prompts the establishment of mountain programs? What are the unique features of a mountain studies curriculum include and what forms do study programs take? What roles do inter- and transdisciplinarity play? What kinds of students are attracted to studying mountains and what are the job prospects they can expect? These and other questions are at the heart of a study carried out in 2019 by the Mountain Research Initiative’s Education for Sustainable Mountain Development Project.

The study fills a gap in international knowledge: while education for sustainable development (ESD) has generally made advances, little is known how it contributes to learning about mountains, where sustainable development challenges are pronounced due to the frequent combination of vulnerability to global climate change and socioeconomic marginalization. The Study involves in-depth case studies and interviews with teachers and trainers of diverse sustainable mountain development curricula around the world, to examine program objectives and policies, structure, staff, and teaching and learning methods. Benefits of participating in the study include: an opportunity to create or increase visibility of ESMD curricula at participating institutions; gaining insights into how existing ESMD curricula compare internationally; and concrete ideas and tools for creating, consolidating, or updating ESMD curricula.

The ESMD Curriculum Review and Development Study has aimed to generate three main outputs: (1) A policy brief highlighting the findings and making the case for ESMD (audience: education officials and funders); (2) An academic paper summarizing the curriculum case studies (audience: academic institutions); and (3) Feedback to academic institutions through conference presentations (audience: teachers and trainers). The flashtalk and poster provides a synopsis of the study results and invites discussion on the lessons learned and the way forward.

The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 on “Climate Action” recognizes climate change as one of the greatest challenges of our time, fundamentally undermining the ability of all countries to achieve sustainable development. While climate change affects all countries on all continents it disproportionately affects the developing world, with unprecedented and increasing risks to life, livelihoods and ecosystems. Adaptation to changing and new environmental conditions is therefore of fundamental importance to sustainability and implies interdisciplinary scientific knowledge. However, there is now ample evidence that climate change adaptation (CCA) is a complex, interwoven and interwoven process. The current translation from research to CCA practice shows important limitations. Moreover, it is widely recognized that human capacities and knowledge, and thus education, are a critical resource to address CCA. Nonetheless comprehensive teaching curricula at the university level are missing in Switzerland and most countries in the South.

Against this background we present a new initiative and network of climate adaptation in education and research which develops and implements dedicated joint teaching programs. For this purpose, we systematically adopt a joint knowledge production (JKP) approach. The network includes institutions from the Central / South America and South Asia regions and Switzerland. In this contribution we focus on how we jointly develop new teaching approaches and material which aspires to integrate the large disciplinary and cultural diversity of the network. Elements include basic approaches, methods and models in relation with climate adaptation, and practical work based on a number of case studies. The ultimate goal of the network is to contribute to sustainable development with a focus on mountain regions.

Strong imbalances in terms of job opportunities and supplied services are common issues across the Alpine region; where in the more remote areas such issues are amplified by the decline of population. A relevant part of the systemic problem are the young people (15-34 years) which generally go out of their villages for higher education or job and do not come back (“brain drain”). The pilot project ALPJOBS (2018-2020), financed from ARPAF by European Parliament, aims to contribute to initiatives against depopulation in remote alpine areas focusing on future job opportunities and on social processes that can support them.

ALPJOBS project consists of training modules for partners on methods from future studies, and applications of these by the same partners in their territory. The chosen methods aimed at providing to learners an overview of methods of different difficulty, as well as at allowing them to collect a series of strategic information and insights useful for subsequent more operational developments. The achieved results are interesting at two levels: process and content. The development of future exercises has encouraged the project partners to embrace a way of thinking about broader time horizons, to “think in systems” the local development objectives and related initiatives. The concepts of futures studies (such as strategic scenarios, relevant uncertainties, megatrends, feedback loops) have entered their vocabulary and that of local stakeholders involved in the applications.

Nevertheless the project has allowed us to collect significant samples from different contexts of the Alps, involving local groups of stakeholders in Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

Interesting insights emerged from information gathered on expectations, fears, promising processes and barriers to innovation, are useful for visualizing, in detail, the favorable local conditions for the development of job opportunities for young people in the coming years, in other words, the locally desirable futures.

Strong imbalances in terms of job opportunities and supplied services are common issues across the Alpine region; where in the more remote areas such issues are amplified by the decline of population. A relevant part of the systemic problem are the young people (15-34 years) which generally go out of their villages for higher education or job and do not come back (“brain drain”). The pilot project ALPJOBS (2018-2020), financed from ARPAF by European Parliament, aims to contribute to initiatives against depopulation in remote alpine areas focusing on future job opportunities and on social processes that can support them.

The project partners by using the selected methods derived from Futures Studies, try to answer to following open questions:

• how to involve young, entrepreneurs, labor agencies, local policy makers and interest groups in developing sustainable innovations of the local social economic system;
• how formal and/or non-formal and/or informal education system and vocational training centres could match competences required within year 2030 by regional enterprises and job seekers;
• how to promote the anticipatory governance in establishing and maintaining in the future attractive job opportunities, as well as enhance the resilience of local communities.

ALPJOBS project consists of training modules for partners on methods from future studies, and applications of these. The chosen methods aimed at providing to learners an overview of methods of different difficulty, as well as at allowing them to collect a series of strategic information useful for subsequent more operational developments. The development of future exercises has encouraged the project partners to embrace a way of thinking about broader time horizons, to “think in systems” the local development objectives and related initiatives. The concepts of futures studies (such as strategic scenarios, relevant uncertainties, megatrends, feedback loops) have entered their vocabulary and that of local stakeholders involved in the applications.

Nevertheless, overall, the project has allowed us to collect significant samples from different contexts of the Alpine region, including 61 strategic interviews, 10 local strategic scenarios, 8 workshops of “systems mapping”, 5 workshops of backcasting, 5 workshops of roadmapping, involving local groups of stakeholders in Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and Italy.

Interesting insights emerged from information gathered on expectations, fears, promising processes and barriers to innovation, are useful for visualizing, in detail, the favorable local conditions for the development of job opportunities for young people in the coming years, in other words, the locally desirable futures.

Mountain communities’ capacity to adapt to a transforming world relies on their ability to experiment with alternative pathways, and learn through change. These communities also need to be able to bring together knowledge from different sources and different governance levels in order to develop innovative options and adaptation strategies. Social learning tools that facilitate a process of knowledge co-production among diverse groups of actors have proved useful to support resilience building and adaptation planning in highly vulnerable mountain areas. In the Andes, such social learning tools have been applied during the past decade to support planning for sustainable natural resource management, promotion of locally based innovations for sustainable development, designing of climate change adaptation strategies, and bridging of traditional knowledge and formal education for resilience building. In this presentation, drawing on these experiences, we will present the main characteristics and principles of these tools. We will also reflect on the contribution they can make to higher education for sustainable mountain development curricula, specifically as part of learning arrangements to foster students’ competences as agents of change.

The biggest challenge of Education for Sustainable Mountain Development (ESMD) at tertiary level is arguably conveyed in the preposition “for”: indeed, the main purpose of higher education institutions is usually framed as research excellence, with a focus on systems knowledge and competitive publication activity. This does not leave much room for preparing students to be reflective and active practitioners of knowledge-based change that responds to societal needs and is aligned with negotiated goals of sustainable development. ESMD must therefore contain space for learning arrangements that foster change agency. Education on Sustainable Mountain Development is definitely also necessary; it needs to be offered from a systemic perspective and go beyond a disciplinary logic. In addition, Education for Sustainable Mountain Development requires a transdisciplinary approach. We will present some learning arrangements that foster inter- and transdisciplinary competences in the context of case-study-based learning taking place in mountain areas, and reflect on how to integrate these didactic-pedagogical procedures into curricula at the tertiary level so that the teaching and learning can better take into account the “for” of ESMD. The examples are based on experience garnered within the context of the International Graduate School (IGS) North-South’s Summer School and the Himalayan University Consortium’s (HUC) Academy. We will conclude with some thoughts about support for ES(M)D curriculum development.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on Education in particular has confirmed the relevance of lifelong learning. Lifelong learning is a 21st century expression of the right to education and represents a holistic and humanistic vision of learning societies.

Complex intersectoral problems for mountain regions and their communities such as climate change will require a whole government and whole society response. The health and education sectors are critical for such a mountain in all policies approach, as stakeholders can support and enhance networks and partnerships including policy implementation dialogue, monitoring and evaluation. Lifelong learning could play an important role in promoting health, education and environmental equity through a mountain in all policies approach.

As part of efforts to achieve SDG target 4.7 UNESCO has strengthened capacity building efforts through a series of publications on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and Global Citizenship Education (GCE). Mountain focussed ESD can address knowledge, skills attitudes values and behaviours both within and outside mountain communities in a coherent and mutually reinforcing manner. GCE and health literacy can enable mountain communities to take action to improve their own health and accelerate progress in reducing inequities in health and beyond. However it is important to take integrated approach to the development of ESD and GCE to highlight the importance of engaging multiple stakeholders including civil society and industry. .

The presentation will provide a summary of recent work on lifelong learning at a global level, with focussed attention on GCE and ESD in relation to health promoting schools. The author will present innovative solutions such as eGranary ‘internet in a box’ that can address inequalities in access to education and lifelong learning opportunities.

How a Social Determinants of Health Approach can help understand and measure health and education sector issues in mountain communities

Many of the factors that influence a person’s health and well-being, such as their education level, income, housing and work conditions are determined by social, environmental and economic policies beyond the direct control of any single sector. In particular, government policies and decisions made in all sectors and at all levels of government can have a significant impact on the health and lifelong learning opportunities of mountain populations in particular marginalized communities. A “Mountains in All Policies” (MiAP) is an approach that promotes collaboration between government sectors and non-government stakeholders to maximize the benefits of government policies, including promoting equity through action on the social determinants of health.

This poster presents how lifelong learning can assist in the framing of specific issues related to the health and education systems of mountain communities, as well as and managing the complexity of intersectoral action. The poster uses the World Health Organization conceptual framework for social determinants of health to illustrate how stakeholders could i. measure and understand the problem, and ii. assess the impact of action.

In the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) regions, an inter-governmental institution called the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) was established. Although the vision of ICIMOD is to offer better life to the people of the mountain and downstream through better coordination and collaborations, not much is done when it comes to higher education programmes offered at university degrees in each member country. Of late, the role of the Universities in the conduct and promotion of research and knowledge partnership is recognized and within HKH have formed a consortium called Himalayan University Consortium (HUC).

The differences in the education systems within HUC members limits progression of prospective students to next higher levels of university degree admission and job opportunities as the qualification obtained from one country to other country is different. In Europe, the presence of these different education and training systems had lead to the Bologna Process to improve internationalization of their higher education. Although ICIMOD was established for more than three decades, there seems no study carried out on the potential of internationalizing higher education provided by the HUC members in facilitating students’ mobility with credit transfer from one country to other country similar to European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System (ECTS).

One of the core objectives of the HUC is to develop new curricula that can be adopted by the members so that we have students trained across the HKH regions on mountain specific knowledge. However the new curricula on higher education is relevant only if it equip students with the knowledge, skills and core transferable competences and contributes to sustainable employment, personal development and active citizenship. Since the Universities are main catalyst in developing and providing knowledge, development of a mountain specific curriculum for the sustainable mountain development is crucial