Regional Research Agenda
Following the example of its counterpart in the Carpathians (Science for the Carpathians, S4C) as well as at the global level (Glochamore) the Scientific Network for the Caucasus Mountain Region (SNC-mt) developed the Caucasus Regional Research Agenda (C-RRA) 2020-2030. The elaboration process was initiated back in 2015 and went through number of consultation and drafting stages including presentation at the first Caucasus Mountain Forum (CMF) in Tbilisi.The purpose of this activity was to establish a collaborative process for identifying the current state of knowledge in core issue areas related to sustainable mountain development in the Caucasus region, key challenges and opportunities, and priority gaps for scientific research and development.
The elaboration of the Caucasus Regional Research Agenda (C-RRA) became possible through the project "Supporting Sustainable Mountain Development in the Caucasus (Sustainable Caucasus)" funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation under the SCOPES Program, as well as through the project “Strengthening Climate Adaptation Capacities in South Caucasus (SCAC)” Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation supported and United Nations Environmental Programme (UN Environmental Programme).
In order to support the approval of the Regional Research Agenda and to initiate a dialog with stakeholders, the second Caucasus Mountain Forum was devoted to the discussion of the C-RRA chapters. The thematic chapters of the C-RRA are as follows: B1. Climate Change, B2. Biodiversity, B3. Forest Resources, B4. Water Resources, B5. Land Use, B6. Natural Hazards, B7. Population and Cultural Diversity, B8. Tourism and Recreation, B9. Socio-economic Development and Planning, and B10. Mountain Cryosphere.
The process of the C-RRA consideration during the Forum included a presentation of the C-RRA at the opening on 30th of October, 2019 during which the CMF participants were requested to rank the priority topics of the C-RRA from 1 to 10 and to provide answers on the selected questions for identification of the future of C-RRA and its role in regional scientific research promotion. The collected, analysed and synthesised feedback was shared with the Forum audience at the closure session on 1st of November 2019. The second CMF formally approved the C-RRA and discussed its future application both for strengthening science-policy interface and research for development.
The SNC-mt sees the C-RRA as a document that will help scientists and other interested stakeholders to gain insight into research needs and priorities and undertake projects with colleagues from neighbouring countries to expand knowledge and exchange information for the establishment of a shared, scientifically-justified comprehension of sustainable-development perspectives in the Caucasus ecoregion.
The final version of the Caucasus Regional Research Agenda is available here.
Designations employed in the Caucasus Research Agenda do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of authors concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
The maps are available, along with other digital maps, in the Caucasus Spatial Data Infrastructure (C-SDI) platform at https://sustainable-caucasus.unepgrid.ch