Agenda
- Agenda – Community
- Agenda – OECM
Commonscapes
Speakers & Participants
Logistics
- Logistics – Community
- Logistics – OECM
Lexicon

Agenda
- Agenda – Community
- Agenda – OECM
Commonscapes
Speakers & Participants
Logistics
- Logistics – Community
- Logistics – OECM
Lexicon

|

Territories of Life and OECMs

The European Commons,

Conferences

09 - 13 December 2024

/

Geneva and Gland (Switzerland)

/

Event

The Unsung Heroes of Europe

Rural Communities as Solutions to Global and European Concerns and Objectives

Rural Communities as Solutions to Global Concerns
0
In the shadows of Europe’s bustling cities and urban centres, a quiet revolution is taking place. The recognition of traditional community-based systems as a solution to Global Crises.
Traditional rural communities and their commons
0
Comprising resilient and steadfast rural dwellers – Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, rural commoners – have long served as the backbone of biodiversity and sustainable development, standing unwavering against the waves of land commodification. These are the unsung heroes of European of sustainable development and biodiversity. They are the unrecognised guardians of our shared natural heritage.
Over hundreds of years of experience
0
For time immemorial communities have cultivated a deep, intimate connection with the land. They have been implementing sustainable practices that not only support local livelihoods, but also bolster national and global development and biodiversity goals.
Their stewardship of the “Commons”
0
Shared natural resources like forests, grasslands, and waterways upon which sheep and cattle graze, fuel wood is collected, crops are grown, and irrigation systems are managed – aligns with and supports global initiatives like the Sustainable Development Goals and biodiversity conservation targets. While innovative approaches like Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) could allow these communities land management practices to be formally recognised and integrate into other efforts.
Now, as we stride toward 2050
0
With a vision of “living in harmony with nature”—it is essential that we highlight these community-driven efforts. Their contributions, often hidden from mainstream narratives, shape regional policies and influence global agendas. By embracing a whole-of-society approach, we can empower rural voices, showcasing the pivotal role they play in achieving environmental sustainability and fostering climate resilience across Europe.

Encouraging participants from all walks of like to exchange on the commons and conservation. Sessions will consist of narratives from local community members, organisations, researchers and decision makers, followed by discussions.

Concha Salguero
Second president
Mateja Šmid Hribar
Research Associate
Tero Mustonen
Founder
Sergio Couto González
Lisa Rail
Jose Maria Martín Civantos
Associate Professor
Håkan Tunón
Director

“If we went to the Senate with feathers in our hairs while dancing around fires, our rights would be recognised”

French commoner, 2019

What is a common?

What is an OECM?

What are SDGs?

“by our hands we endeavour, by our various operations in this world, to make, as it were, another nature”

LX 152, Cicero, 45 BC

preformed by hazeyjane
composed by Chris Brown

A 1700s protest song

The goose and the common

Organisers

Gretchen Walters University of Lausanne

Tobias Haller University of Bern
IASC

Jennifer Kelleher IUCN

Marco Bassi Palermo University
ICCA

Olivier

And the input of

Håkan Tunón Swedish Biodiversity Centre

kaisu Mustonen photo

Kaisu Mustonen Snowchange Cooperative

Havukkakallion yleisötilaisuus Runonlaulajan pirtillä 13.8.2021.

Noora Huusari Snowchange Cooperative

Ilkhom Soliev Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Marie Kvarnström

With the assistance of

Diana Neacsu_very compressed

Diana Neacsu University of Lausanne

Alys Cretier University of Lausanne

KaczmarekIlanne

Ilanne Kkaczmarek Université Savoie Mont Blanc

Thalia Asper UNIL

unilogo_bleu_72dpi

Carole

Supporters