Project Summary

PROMONT project targets rural mountainous territories in the Adriatic-Ionian (ADRION) area, which host unique biodiversity but are increasingly threatened by overexploitation of resources, unsustainable economic practices and seasonal mass tourism. These areas, like many rural regions, are managed by local public authorities responsible for large territories with limited human and financial resources, as well as few opportunities for capacity building.

PROMONT represents a collective effort to address these complex and pressing challenges, calling for international collaboration to effectively tackle them.

The transnational approach allows to maximize not only the access to resources and opportunities, but also the dissemination of scientific results and the strengthening of collaborative relations between various partners and territories within and outside the project.

Objectives

The project's main objective is to protect the unique biodiversity of Adriatic-Ionian mountains while fostering the involvement and empowerment of local communities in developing sustainable, regenerative practices. In addition, PROMONT supports local economies by promoting environmentally responsible economic activities and strengthens an international network of mountain stakeholders through collaborative actions and knowledge-sharing. On a more concrete level, objectives are pursued through research and testing of innovative solutions, exchange and transferring of best practices and development of common tools.

Actions

The actions focus on local biodiversity of six pilot areas:

1. Mt. Olympus (Greece)
2. Mt. Baldo (Italy)
3. Mt. Snežnik (Slovenia)
4. Mt. Tomorr (Albania)
5. Mt. Žaba (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
6. Mt. Komovi (Montenegro)

Each partner identifies key species of flora and fauna, or even entire areas within unique ecosystems that contribute to local biodiversity but are at risk of disappearing or facing specific threats. Partners do not only monitor and document these selected species and ecosystems but also develop Local Action Plans with restorative proposals in collaboration with local stakeholders and the project's academic partner (International Hellenic University). The ultimate scope is to create a unified action plan and strategy for the protection and regeneration of these areas. Throughout the project, the activation of citizens and stakeholders is accomplished through a series of local workshops and informative sessions. In the final phase of the project, a capitalization process is launched through the creations of a platform (PLATEAU) designed to enhance replicability and disseminate the results of the developed tools. This ensures that the outcomes are widely shared and can be applied to other regions with similar characteristics, maximizing the broader impact of the project.