Building a Foundation for Mountain Development

The Institute of Research and Development for Mediterranean Islands Mountain Regions, known as the MountMed Institute, was legally established in 2021 as a non-profit organisation dedicated to the sustainable development of Mediterranean mountain territories, with particular emphasis on Cyprus and the Troodos Mountains.

MountMed’s establishment was announced on International Mountain Day 2020 by the John Papadouris Foundation and recorded internationally by the Mountain Partnership, the United Nations alliance dedicated to mountains. In its 7 January 2021 overview of International Mountain Day celebrations across Europe, the Mountain Partnership presented MountMed as an institute intended to develop synergies and networks while applying the principles and strategies of the European Union, United Nations, and other international bodies for sustainable mountain development.

The Institute emerged from the need to create a dedicated scientific, institutional and operational structure capable of linking knowledge, policy and local action in mountain development. Two milestones shaped this process. The first was the adoption by the Republic of Cyprus of an Integrated Mountain Policy in 2018 and the formulation of the National Strategy for the Development of Mountain Communities in 2019, which created a framework recognising mountain areas as a distinct field of public policy and territorial development.

The second was the European Conference on Mediterranean Mountain Regions, held in Troodos in 2020. The Conference brought together researchers, policy actors and institutions with experience in sustainable mountain development. It culminated in the Troodos Declaration, which highlighted the need for specialised organisations capable of supporting the application of research results, interdisciplinary approaches and mountain policies in the field.

MountMed emerged from this process as an interdisciplinary and international institute, supported by a network of scientists and institutions specialising in mountain studies, spatial planning, territorial development, agroecology, environmental sciences, cultural heritage, energy, social innovation and related fields. This network, together with leaders and actors from political, economic and social sectors, forms the foundation of MountMed’s expertise and its commitment to advancing sustainable development, territorial resilience and the prosperity of mountain communities.

The Institute’s activities are aligned with the European framework for territorial cohesion. Article 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union recognises the need to pay particular attention to regions facing severe and permanent natural or demographic handicaps, including mountain regions. For MountMed, this provides an important policy foundation for advocating long-term, place-based and integrated responses for mountain territories.

In Cyprus, the National Strategy for the Development of Mountain Communities serves as a distinctive policy foundation for MountMed’s activities. Its international relevance was acknowledged in the United Nations Secretary-General’s Report on Sustainable Mountain Development to the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UN General Assembly, A/77/217, 22 July 2022). This recognition reinforces Troodos’ status as a policy-relevant and scientifically significant reference territory for integrated mountain development approaches.

MountMed works at the interface between science, policy and implementation. Its role is not limited to producing knowledge. It seeks to transform research into action by supporting integrated territorial interventions, strengthening local capacities, promoting innovation and contributing to institutional recognition of Mediterranean island mountains within European and international policy frameworks.