Call for Abstracts

Designed to be a meeting place for scientists, policymakers, and practitioners from the Caucasus region and beyond, the third Caucasus Mountain Forum (CMF3) follows in the footsteps of CMF1 (2016) and CMF2 (2019) as a crucial opportunity for constructive interaction between scientists, governmental experts, and practitioners; with debate on opportunities and challenges and contributions to the improved coordination of sustainable development in the Caucasus region.

The theme of CMF3 "Transdisciplinarity for Sustainable Tourism Development: Role of Caucasus Scientists” will be perspectives and challenges of tourism development in the region, which was identified as one of the hottest issues by the Caucasus Regional Research Agenda (C-RRA) adopted by CMF2 in Ankara in 2019. In particular, the presentations and discussions of CMF2 determined that tourism, even with both positive and negative impacts on nature, local communities, and economies, plays the most important role in the Caucasus mountain regions’ socio-economic promotion.

The tourism sector constituted 3 to 15 percent of the GDP of the  Caucasus Ecoregion countries in 2019. Tourism development is interlinked with a number of other economic sectors such as agriculture, transport, infrastructure, construction, energy, and, in general, socio-economic development and planning. The tourism sector also embraces different aspects of historical heritage and cultural diversity, environmental and ecosystem protection, climate change, and water management.

CMF3 will be held from 4 to 6 July 2023 and will be hosted by Kutaisi Akaki Tsereteli State University, Georgia.

CMF3 will offer a combination of plenary sessions open to the public, research sessions, workshops, and poster sessions. The organisers invite participants to choose among the following types of contributions:

  • Abstracts for oral presentation in research sessions (max 300 words + 5 keywords). Research sessions provide academic researchers with a chance to present and discuss their latest scientific findings. Researchers from non-academic settings (NGOs, government, private sector) are also invited.
  • Abstracts for a practical example in a workshop (max. 300 words). The purpose of the workshops is to stimulate discussion and exchange between practitioners and scientists. Practical examples in policy advocacy; scientific networking; leveraging spatial data education for sustainable development, natural hazards, and disaster risk reduction are expected. As a consequence, workshop presentations are expected to be short, focusing on practical insights from development projects, policy initiatives, or teaching practices.
  • Abstracts for a poster presentation (max. 200 words). Posters will be displayed in a prominent area. Poster presenters will attend two dedicated poster sessions. The size of the posters should not exceed A0 format (84 cm x 119 cm). One-page handouts will be available. The prize for the best poster will be awarded during the closing session.

Deadlines:

Abstract submission deadline:                                             15 January 2023

Deadline for the notification of abstract acceptance:             15 February 2023   

Abstracts are to be submitted in English only to CMF2023@caucasus-mt.net using the Abstract Submission Form

Scholarships will be available primarily for participants from the region.