In the dual context of climate change and global warming, mountain regions are currently undergoing major changes. Climate change is causing an intensification of hydro-climatic processes which, combined with the heavy urbanization of certain valleys, is reinforcing risk situations. Rising temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns are significantly altering ecological conditions. Mountain regions are also facing a number of challenges linked to globalization, including communication difficulties, peripheralization and profound changes in the four traditional economic sectors of mountain regions: agriculture, forestry, energy production and tourism. Holistic approaches, combining natural sciences, human and social sciences, and modeling and mapping tools, are needed to analyze and cope with these issues.
TRANSMOUNT aims to provide the students conceptual and methodological tools to address these issues. It follows three thematic axes and one methodological objective:
- Axis 1: Hydrogeomorphological processes and risks,
- Axis 2: Landscape changes in agro-sylvo-pastoral mountain systems,
- Axis 3: Mountain heritage and tourism economy.
- Methodological objective: combining remote sensing and field research in mountain areas.
CIVIS BIP TRANSMOUNT copes with current territorial issues in the Alps, the Carpathians and the Mediterranean mountain regions.
The physical mobility section of the BIP will take place between 1st - 5th June 2026, in Sion, Switzerland:
The five-day program follows the three axes of the CIVIS BIP TRANSMOUNT course. Each day includes around 8 hours of learning activities, split into two parts:
- Field activities: from morning to early afternoon (9:00 – 15:00 CEST). These activities will include walking and hiking in mountain environments to reach field sites, so participants should be prepared for outdoor physical effort in varied terrain.
- Classroom activities (such as group work, workshops, seminar, practical presentations by professors and researchers) or site visits: in the late afternoon (16:00 – 19:00 CEST)
The week is organized in three parts:
Day 1 is dedicated to the discovery of the geography, geomorphology, hydrology and biogeography of the Rhone River valley and its tributaries, in the surroundings of Sion, in an integrated approach, combining field recognition (in the morning and early afternoon) and specific lectures in the late afternoon. Guiding in the field and lectures will be given by the UNIL staff.
Day 2 to 4 will be dedicated to thematic group works. Each group of students will realize during the 3 days a thematic survey on one socio-environmental problem in one study site, under the supervision of staff members, both local (University of Lausanne) and from the three other organizing universities. The groups will be organized based on the three TRANSMOUNT course axes:
- Axis 1: Hydrogeomorphological processes and risks
- Axis 2: Landscape changes in agro-sylvo-pastoral mountain systems
- Axis 3: Mountain heritage and tourism economy
Each group will work during the three days on one specific precise research question and will work on the research question definition, data collection in the field (using specific techniques under the supervision of the staff members), data processing (mainly during the late afternoon seminars in the classroom), and elaboration of a preliminary communication to the public (to be presented in Day 5).
Day 5 will be dedicated to project presentations and interaction with local stakeholders. The day will begin with group presentations, during which each group will present the scientific problem, the data acquisition and processing, and the first results. In the late afternoon, a public event will be organized by CIRM in collaboration with one mountain municipality and the cantonal administration. It will include a roundtable with representatives of local authorities and student groups, encouraging dialogue on the relevance of the work carried out during the week. The day will conclude with a public guest lecture on resilience of mountains communities to increasing risks related to climate change.
During the week the following techniques will be mobilised based on the expertise of the staff members from the 4 organizing universities: geomorphological mapping, drone flight image collection, GNSS surveying, computer data processing of field surveying in GIS, photogrammetric product extraction like DEM and orthoimagery, hydrological measurements, meteorological and climatological data processing, qualitative methods (interviews) and their interpretation; landscape change mapping and modelling based on data from different sources, change detection analysis based on satellite imagery as an application of Earth Observation on a mountain valley system; geoheritage assessment methods.
Note: depending on weather conditions the program might be adapted by changing the order of the activities but with the intention to cover all sites and objectives during the mentioned period of the physical component.
The course will run online between 23rd February - 15th June 2026.
The virtual component of the CIVIS BIP TRANSMOUNT course includes a total workload of 92 hours structured as follows :
- 1 introductory meeting (4 hours)
- 10 thematic meetings (4 hours each, total 40 hours)
- 1 final online workshop for project presentations (4 hours)
- 44 hours of individual and group work
Each 4-hour thematic session will include:
- Theoretical presentation (1 hour) – overview key concepts with visual examples
- Methodological overview (1 hour) – exploration of approaches related to previously identified issues
- Case study analysis (1hour) – interactive format: discussion of problems and solutions
- Discussion on scientific literature (1hour) – based on readings shared before the session
This format aims to balance theoretical lectures (with an interdisciplinary approach) and practical, research-based workshops, where trainers present their own work to illustrate the concepts discussed.
Students are strongly encouraged to interact actively, ask questions, and contribute complementary examples related to methodologies, techniques, or case studies relevant to mountain research that will be presented during the virtual sessions. The knowledge gained in these sessions will serve as a foundation for the on-site (physical) component of the course and its evaluation.
In June, students will carry out a fieldwork project under the supervision of trainers. They will present their results in the form of an oral presentation of a poster during a final virtual workshop and submit a written report.
Note: There will be no recording of the virtual sessions and there will be a break during Easter holiday (April 3-14, 2026).
Virtual Part Schedule
The virtual sessions will take place on Monday from 15:00 to 19:00 (CET), 16 :00 to 20 :00 (EET).
Week 1 – Introduction and Mountain Research Challenges in the Himalayas (23 Feb. 2026)
- Course overview, objectives, activities, outcomes, presentation from professors and participants
Prof. Emmanuel Reynard (UNIIL), coordinator and Prof. Bogdan Mihai (UB)
- Lecture : Current Mountain Research Challenges in the Himalayas
Assoc. Prof. Binod Dawadi (Tribuvan University, Nepal)
Week 2 – Geomorphic risk typology and analysis (2 March 2026)
- Morphodynamic features in the mountain areas. Definitions, methodologies, assessment, risk modelling and representation
Prof. Niki Evelpidou and Dr. Anna Karkani, NKUA
Week 3 – Hydrological processes in mountain regions (9 March 2026)
- Risks and river management. Mountain water resources between natural parameters, usage and sustainable solutions.
Prof. Liliana Zaharia, Dr. Gabriela-Ioana Toroimac, UB
Week 4 – Climate change and ecological impact on biodiversity on mountain areas (16 March 2026)
- Ecological consequences, biodiversity and future scenarios.
Dr. Christophe Randin, UNIL
Week 5 – Mountain geoheritage and tourism (23 March 2026)
- The specificities of mountain geoheritage, conservation and tourist promotion.
- Short overview on physical part activities
Prof. Emmanuel Reynard, UNIIL
Week 6 – Field techniques and photogrammetry to study mountain processes (30 March 2026)
- High resolution field spatial data collection and interpretation in mountain landscape analysis and modelling.
Assoc. Prof. Emmanuel Vassilakis, NKUA
Week 7 – Mountain risks: management and perception (20 April 2026)
- Definition, representation and search for solutions of specific issues for a sustainable development.
Assoc. Prof. Aurélie Arnaud, AMU
Week 8 – Mountain ecological features (27 April 2026)
- Mountain fauna. Between zonation, adaptation and protection issue.
Dr. Christos Georgiadis, NKUA
Week 9 – Mountain agro-sylvo-pastoral system transitions (4 May 2026)
- Traditional mountain activities and current changes in an adaptive context, between climate change and a sustainable usage of resources.
Assoc. Prof. Brigitte Talon, AMU
Week 10 – Mountain landscapes: trajectories and their perception (11 May 2026)
- From natural features to historical and current dynamics. From scientific to citizen perception.
- Organization of the physical week
Mélanie Clivaz, MSc, UNIL
Week 11 – Remote sensing and GIS integration in coping for mountain regions (18 May 2026)
- Earth Observation of Mountain Areas: Between Models and Interpretation of Environmental and Socioeconomic Changes.
Prof. Bogdan Mihai and Dr. Marina Vîrghileanu, UB
Monday, 15 June 2026 : Concluding virtual meeting
- Workshop with presentations of group works/projects