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- Category: Global News
What constitutes quality of life? What does a rural, mountain area like the Entlebuch offer in terms of quality of life today and in the future? How can quality of life be provided sustainably? These and similar questions were addressed in a research project conducted by the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern, and are now shown in an interactive exhibition at the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch. The exhibition was designed participatively, and offers the opportunity for the visitor to reflect on their own quality of life and to mirror their findings with scientific results. It is, in the view of the authors, an important topic with regional up to global relevance.
How satisfied are the people of Entlebuch and of comparable regions with their lives, and how sustainable is the provision of this quality of life? These basic questions were the impetus for a research project that the CDE launched together with the UNESCO Biosphere Entlebuch and other partners in 2017. The research project investigated these questions with qualitative and quantitative approaches and identified 'sustainable quality of life' as a multi-layered concept that takes into account nine aspects that add up to quality of life: Social relations and equality, nature and landscape, employment and income, participation and belonging, housing, mobility, health and safety, education and knowledge. These aspects are evaluated in terms of their social, economic, and environmental impact. Further, sustainable quality of life puts emphasis on inter- and intra-generational equity.
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- Category: MRI News
A new article published in the American Geophysical Union (AGU) news magazine Eos describes research efforts using traditional and innovative survey methods to study glacier retreat and dynamics in the Andes. This article resulted from an MRI-funded Synthesis Workshop.
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- Category: GEO Mountains
The GEO Mountains General Meeting on 30 November 2021 will serve as a platform for exchange, bringing participants up to speed on recent developments at GEO Mountains and inviting discussion on the activities of Task Groups. GEO Mountains participants will also provide key updates on ongoing projects that could contribute to the objectives of GEO Mountains.
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MRI SLC member Mandira Shrestha and Executive Director Carolina Adler presented at the GEO Climate Policy and Finance workshop held 21-23 September 2021.
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- Category: GEO Mountains
This GEO Mountains workshop sought to better understand the current interdisciplinary “data landscape” across the Caucasus region.
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- Category: MRI News
The second Conéctate A+ academic exchange webinar took place today, helping students and researchers in Switzerland discover study and research opportunities in Latin America.
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- Category: Global News
On 1 October, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) circulated the final draft of the Summary for Policymakers of the Working Group II contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) to governments for their review and comment.
This is one of the final stages of report preparation before the plenary approval of this contribution which assesses the impacts of climate change and how humanity and ecosystems are both vulnerable and adapting to it.
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- Category: Global News
In a large-scale study conducted on Mount Kilimanjaro and published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, researchers were able to demonstrate that species richness improves the performance of ecosystems, while the species turnover along the elevational gradient plays a minor role.
Microorganisms, plants, and animals accomplish great feats every day. For example, by decomposing material, producing plant biomass, or pollinating flowers, they keep nature 'up and running," thereby securing the livelihood of humans. Numerous studies have shown that a high biodiversity can have a positive impact on these as well as on other ecosystem functions.
