Pyrenees in Transition: Cooperation in the Face of Climate Change

The Pyrenees in Transition Forum brought together more than 220 participants and concluded with a positive outcome. Over three days, specialists, managers, public officials, and civil society representatives—from the local, regional, and European spheres—exchanged knowledge and experiences on topics as diverse as technological innovation for monitoring sensitive ecosystems—for example, glaciers and the cryosphere—and flora and fauna species. Regarding the mountain economy, alternatives were presented in tourism and other essential economic sectors for the bioregion, such as forestry and agropastoralism. Demonstrative experiences were also presented on nature-based solutions for addressing ecosystem restoration, as well as citizen initiatives to raise awareness of climate challenges.

The meeting's program was multidisciplinary. Case studies on the behavior and monitoring of certain sentinel species of flora and fauna, which serve as indicators of climate change, were included, such as one from the Nature en Occitanie association. This partner in the LIFE PYRENEES4CLIMA project presented a study on the regression of lizards of the genus Iberolacerta in the Pyrenees, a species highly sensitive to temperature variations. Regarding flora, studies were presented on the behavior of invasive or exotic species in new scenarios, and the emergence of new ecosystems due to the disappearance of glaciers.

For many specialists, the challenge of seeking dialogue with other stakeholders is key to generating effective cooperation. This was stated by Michael Douette, director of the CBNPMP and one of the coordinators of the Mountain Ecosystems block. According to him, adapting the language and perspective of the scientific world is important to raise awareness among various stakeholders, such as citizens, legislators, and representatives of the business sector.

In this regard, natural area managers, politicians, and scientists agree that legal aspects need to be strengthened in order to protect and preserve the natural environment. For David Arnaud, director of the Pyrenees National Park (France), also a partner in the LIFE PYRENEES4CLIMA project, the management of natural areas must balance the needs of users, the preservation of the area, and its appeal as a public interest element. Arnaud alluded to the need to create the Pyrenees of the future with a more comprehensive and strategic vision, taking into account the uses of the areas and the key functions of nature. In his opinion, parks play an important role in raising awareness in society, but to make more decisive progress, regulations must be adapted.

Ignacio López Moreno, a glaciologist and researcher at IPE-CSSIC and one of the leaders of the glaciers and cryosphere section at this meeting, expressed a similar view. He believes the need to implement regulatory measures with a more comprehensive view of the use and protection of the Pyrenees region is increasingly evident. In this regard, initiatives such as the LIFE PYRENEES4CLIMA project can drive such changes. According to López Moreno, these types of meetings allow for building bridges between science, politics, and society, and reinforce the fact that the Pyrenees are an excellent laboratory and an example for other mountain regions. Technically, we possess cutting-edge instruments for research, in addition to a long history of shared cooperation.

Many attendees emphasized the importance of these meetings as a way to strengthen ties, share concerns, and collaborate in the search for collective responses to the problems facing the mountain region, with the goal of moving toward joint governance that will enable more effective action.

In this regard, for Iñaki Gerenabarrena of Hazi Fundazioa, who works with forest management in the Basque Country, one of the positive aspects of being part of a European project like LIFE PYRENEES4CLIMA is that the solutions are based on sustainability, focused on the specific needs of mountain areas, are multifunctional, and do not follow free market criteria.

For Eva García Balaguer, coordinator of the Pyrenean Climate Change Observatory, strengthening Pyrenean governance is key to achieving solutions that strengthen resilience throughout the Pyrenees. In this context, advocacy and awareness-raising resources, as well as the inclusion of more informal associations, groups, and networks, are also of great value, as they bring new perspectives.

Citizen participation in science and civil society mobilization were also very well received by the event attendees. The dialogue between young people from the Pyrenees and a representative of the Swiss Association of Grand Parents pour le Clima highlighted the great potential of integrating a transgenerational perspective into climate action. For Enzo Amand, one of the young participants, "older generations have the experience and view climate change with greater urgency; for us, however, it's our future. Bringing these two perspectives together helps us and is very enriching."

Citizen science was also present at the forum. María Begoña García, a researcher at IPE-CSIC and recipient of the Citizen Science Award, highlighted how initiatives of this type engage citizens and take responsibility for climate change. In practical terms, the researcher points out that citizen science allows us to understand and cover the distribution of more taxa, as well as the population declines of the species studied.

The Pyrenees in Transition Forum was held in the French city of Bagnères-de-Bigorre, in the Occitanie region, from June 18 to 20. This is the first meeting of its kind organized within the framework of the European LIFE PYRENEES4CLIMA project. The meeting brought together a wide variety of specialists and opened the door to discussion among a broad spectrum of stakeholders, thus improving the project's expectations and results. The next meeting, which is held every two years, will take place in Navarre in 2027.