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organised by the
UNIVERSITÄT FÜR BODENKULTUR WIEN
(University of Agricultural Sciences, Vienna)
in collaboration with 8 European partner institutions within the SILVA-Network *)
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| Background | Core Areas | Course Sites and Programme Design | Programme and Time-Table (comming soon!) |
2002 is the "International Year of the Mountains" (IYM 2002), the "International Year of Ecotourism", and the year when the International MSc Course "Mountain Forestry" was started at BOKU, the University of Agricultural Sciences in Vienna (Austria). And 2002 is the 3rd year that the SOCRATES Intensive Programme (IP) "Mountain Forests for Production & Protection" will be organized again by BOKU in cooperation with several other European forestry faculties.
The European Alps are still a comparatively natural landscape but increasingly overcrowded by tourists, outdoor sports, accommodation facilities. The intensification of forestry and of agricultural pasturing practices leads to an overcharging of its ecological carrying capacities by maximising nearly all of the multiple-use options and interests.
Forestry can no longer simply postulate a protection of the protection forests and an intensification within the production forest stands. Ecological and economic relationships have to be integrated more consciously with the surrounding, non-forested areas and with non-forestry interests and priorities as well. In general, rural development issues and the non-timber values of forestry tend to become more and more relevant. A correspondingly adaptive forest management is very complex and highly diverse in different countries. In times of globalisation it is increasingly important to expose foresters and forestry students to often quite different situations outside their home countries. Currently, too many foresters still tend to focus too much on their traditional practices and experiences.
| The major goal of this IP is to raise awareness for existing tensions between forest protection and forest use as well as for socio-economic mechanisms on an international scale. |
We shall concentrate this time, more than in the two preceding IPs, on mountain tourism, mountain dangers and disasters and a corresponding risk management via protective forests sustainability and other prophylactic measures, including also wildlife problems (forest damages as well as protection demands and human attitudes).
Based on the situation in the European Alps, course participants will become familiarized with more integrated forest use, forest tending, and reforestation strategies.
After completion of this course they should be better motivated to practice adaptive forest management instead of just continuing along the traditional lines, and to integrate landscape scales and the various other land use interests and issues more consciously in their planning and implementation efforts.
But you may also use this IP as a good chance to get more concrete ideas and information about our MSc curriculum "Mountain forestry", docents active also there, and if this whole programme of a 2 years duration might be of interest for you (for more information look at http://mountainforestry.boku.ac.at/ )
And there will be organised a lot of other meetings, conferences, etc. along IYM 2002, for instance 1 week later ascientific symposium on "Ecological and Economic Benefits of Mountain Forests" in Innsbruck (details under http://fbva.forvie.ac.at/iym/ecology.html)
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COURSE SITES AND PROGRAMME DESIGN:
Due to experiences with former courses of a similar type, the programme will combine short introductory lectures and subsequent discussions with field trips to mountain areas where problems, research, and management efforts will be presented and discussed in an inter- and transdisciplinary way (cf. Programme & Time Table).
Preliminary Programme
1st week: Timber & Non-Timber Products and its Protection in Mountain Regions
Forest economy in Central Europe, Austria, and under alpine conditions
Social geography and human dimensions of land use in the European Alps
Alpine tourism, carrying capacity issues, and conflict solving efforts
Alpine wildlife issues as a specific challenge
Silviculture in mountain forests and near the timber line
2nd week: Mountain Risk Assessment, Simulation, and Management
Modelling of avalanches and of rockfall in relation to protective forest inputs
Protection forests: criteria – damage reasons – interdisciplinary and interactive management
Alpine disasters and risk management
Mountain river management between conservation and control challenges
Tourism, outdoor sports, savety problems and its prophylactic management
There will be excercises in the field as well as demonstrative excursions to disaster, management, and study sites. The 1st week will take place in and nearby Innsbruck, the 2nd one in Galtür and its surrounding. In between, a weekend excursion to the upper Alto Adige Valley (Vinschgau, Italy) and to the Swiss National Park (CH) will add more international impressions.
Each
week will be finished with a written examination. You will get a
certificate about your successful participation in this Intensive
Programme which confirms also 5.0 ECTS-credits.
As part of your in-advance-preparation for this course, you are expected to study at least that reading material which interests you especially, and to prepare yourself about mountain forest problems in your home country, or in another mountainous country – in order to contribute to the many discussions and also for your self-introduction.
Important indications for participants
Your registration will only become valid with the payment of an IP registration deposit of 70,- EURO. The remaining fee must be payed at the IP.
The announced fee will include part of the various travel costs in Tyrol, the two weeks accommodation and meal costs, travel and accident insurance during the two weeks stay in Tyrol, and unforeseen expenses as well as possible refunds. We can overtake a remarkable amount of the concrete expenses, and we shall also try to reduce the fees also for the students from (at the moment) non-partner faculties of this SOC-IP. But this is possible only when we have a more concrete knowledge about the participants number and our final budget.
After having paid this registration fee, you will get a code word to enter those parts of the home page which will give you more information and access to preparatory texts and literature which is recommended to study in advance.
No more new registrations possible!
Information:
Email: iwj@edv1.boku.ac.at
Last update: 7.10.07.2002 IT
