The Science for the Carpathians meeting in Bratislava
24. 6. 2009 | 3939 visits
The meeting workshop of the initiative The Science for the Carpathians (S4C) was held on 9 June 2009 in the Small Congress Centre Veda in Bratislava.
The meeting was organised by the Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Mountain Research Initiative, Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland), International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps (ISCAR), Swiss Academy of Sciences and Austrian Academy of Sciences, with the support of IGF, EURAC and ISCC-UNEP.
The Science for the Carpathians initiative is a scientific network for research of global change in the Carpathian mountain range. It was launched during the first S4C Conference in Kraków, Poland (27-28 May 2008) as a direct response to the Carpathian Convention’s need of a voice from the Carpathian science community. The S4C network includes more than 300 active scientists and research institutes. Despite the rapid growth and enthusiasm, the network still lacks an institutional framework like it exists, for instance, for the Alps (International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps, ISCAR). The planning workshop aimed to:
1. Assess the interest of National Science Academies in supporting the further development of the S4C Initiative as well as of the interest of other institutions to participate in the network.
2. Establish an official S4C Steering Committee.
3. Plan the conference Forum Carpaticum 2010 (15-17 September 2010, Kraków, Poland).
Prof. Daniela Ježová, the vice-president of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and Dr. Astrid Björnsen Gurung, the program manger of the Mountain Research Initiative (Innsbruck/Bern) opened the workshop. The introductory presentations were focused to the role of science in the Carpathian Convention (Dr. H. Egerer, UNEP, Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention) and to the experience of ISCAR and its relation to the Alpine Convention (Dr. T. Scheurer, Swiss Academy and ISCAR).
Presidents of the Austrian and Swiss Academies invited representatives of all National Science Academies of the Carpathian countries (CAS) to participate in the workshop. Thirteen representatives of National Science Academies from 6 countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia) and two guests (Switzerland, Sweden), accepted this invitation, representatives of 4 countries had an official authorization to negotiate.
Participants of this meeting expressed a high interest in the presented ideas and in further development of the S4C Initiative. They defined 5 fields in which CAS could contribute to foster research cooperation in the Carpathian region. Although a direct financial support seems unlikely in the period of the current financial crisis, it is possible to use existing mechanisms, especially the framework of existing bilateral agreements. Annual Meetings of CAS members with special interest in the mountain research will be held. The next meeting is foreseen as a side-event of the Forum Carpaticum 2010 when CAS will contribute to its organization.
The Interim Scientific Steering Committee of S4C was established: the candidates were introduced and an election followed. In the Steering Committee there are represented all Carpathian countries (except Serbia, not participating yet in S4C) as well as non-Carpathian organizations that actively contributed to S4C and are interested in future involvement. Preparation of the conference on Carpathian research Forum Carpaticum 2010 represents an important activity of the Steering Committee during the next period - the road map was outlined and discussed at the workshop. Memorandum of S4C was adopted at the end of the meeting, defining the aims and objectives of S4C, the role and tasks of both the Steering Committee and working groups as well as the role of the Forum Carpaticum.
More details about the Initiative the Science for the Carpathians and about Forum Carpaticum could be found at the addresses. Those interested in active participation in S4C are welcome to write to Mr. Lubos Halada (lubos.halada@savba.sk).
Text: Luboš Halada, ÚKE SAV
Foto: Ferdinand Tisovič
The meeting was organised by the Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Mountain Research Initiative, Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland), International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps (ISCAR), Swiss Academy of Sciences and Austrian Academy of Sciences, with the support of IGF, EURAC and ISCC-UNEP.
The Science for the Carpathians initiative is a scientific network for research of global change in the Carpathian mountain range. It was launched during the first S4C Conference in Kraków, Poland (27-28 May 2008) as a direct response to the Carpathian Convention’s need of a voice from the Carpathian science community. The S4C network includes more than 300 active scientists and research institutes. Despite the rapid growth and enthusiasm, the network still lacks an institutional framework like it exists, for instance, for the Alps (International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps, ISCAR). The planning workshop aimed to:
1. Assess the interest of National Science Academies in supporting the further development of the S4C Initiative as well as of the interest of other institutions to participate in the network.
2. Establish an official S4C Steering Committee.
3. Plan the conference Forum Carpaticum 2010 (15-17 September 2010, Kraków, Poland).
Prof. Daniela Ježová, the vice-president of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and Dr. Astrid Björnsen Gurung, the program manger of the Mountain Research Initiative (Innsbruck/Bern) opened the workshop. The introductory presentations were focused to the role of science in the Carpathian Convention (Dr. H. Egerer, UNEP, Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention) and to the experience of ISCAR and its relation to the Alpine Convention (Dr. T. Scheurer, Swiss Academy and ISCAR).
Presidents of the Austrian and Swiss Academies invited representatives of all National Science Academies of the Carpathian countries (CAS) to participate in the workshop. Thirteen representatives of National Science Academies from 6 countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia) and two guests (Switzerland, Sweden), accepted this invitation, representatives of 4 countries had an official authorization to negotiate.
Participants of this meeting expressed a high interest in the presented ideas and in further development of the S4C Initiative. They defined 5 fields in which CAS could contribute to foster research cooperation in the Carpathian region. Although a direct financial support seems unlikely in the period of the current financial crisis, it is possible to use existing mechanisms, especially the framework of existing bilateral agreements. Annual Meetings of CAS members with special interest in the mountain research will be held. The next meeting is foreseen as a side-event of the Forum Carpaticum 2010 when CAS will contribute to its organization.
The Interim Scientific Steering Committee of S4C was established: the candidates were introduced and an election followed. In the Steering Committee there are represented all Carpathian countries (except Serbia, not participating yet in S4C) as well as non-Carpathian organizations that actively contributed to S4C and are interested in future involvement. Preparation of the conference on Carpathian research Forum Carpaticum 2010 represents an important activity of the Steering Committee during the next period - the road map was outlined and discussed at the workshop. Memorandum of S4C was adopted at the end of the meeting, defining the aims and objectives of S4C, the role and tasks of both the Steering Committee and working groups as well as the role of the Forum Carpaticum.
More details about the Initiative the Science for the Carpathians and about Forum Carpaticum could be found at the addresses. Those interested in active participation in S4C are welcome to write to Mr. Lubos Halada (lubos.halada@savba.sk).
Text: Luboš Halada, ÚKE SAV
Foto: Ferdinand Tisovič