Workshop Mountains for Sustainability: Guardians of Biocultural Heritage

The event combined theoretical and practical sessions, highlighting best practices and communication strategies. Topics included biodiversity, pollution, and the importance of Biosphere Reserves in mountain territories, emphasized by the participation of members from the World Network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves.

During the morning, the sessions focused on natural and cultural heritage and the new tools available to enhance and promote it.

In the afternoon, an ecological running activity known as plogging took place in the Montesinho Natural Park, where participants collected waste while exploring the landscape. This initiative underscored the need to raise awareness among local communities about pollution issues, particularly plastic pollution.

At the end of the event, participants were challenged to create social media content to promote the biocultural heritage of Biosphere Reserves in a creative and accessible way.

This workshop aimed to highlight the value of mountains and Biosphere Reserves as spaces of resilience and guardians of biocultural heritage for future generations. It reinforced the importance of partnerships and capacity building to improve the effectiveness of communication.

The sessions were designed and facilitated by researchers from the Centre for Functional Ecology, including Professor Maria Fernanda Rollo, Inês José, Joana Ralão, Joana Alves, and Miguel Ferreira, Professor Conceição Lopes from the University of Coimbra and Sónia Frazão from Axians.