Mountain regions across Central Europe face complex challenges that cannot be addressed within administrative or national borders alone. Climate change, demographic changes, pressure on natural resources and the need to balance economic development with environmental protection require integrated approaches and stronger cooperation between regions.
To respond to these challenges, the CENTRAL MOUNTAINS partnership developed the Joint Strategy for Mountain Governance (Joint Strategy for Community-Led Sustainable Development of Mountain Areas in Central Europe with a Special Focus on Participatory Governance), a key project output providing a common framework for improving cooperation and governance in mountain areas across the Alps, Carpathians and Sudetes.
The strategy identifies common governance challenges affecting mountain regions and presents practical recommendations for strengthening cooperation, improving coordination between different levels of governance and increasing stakeholder participation. It promotes integrated approaches that connect environmental protection, economic development, social inclusion and innovation while recognising the specific needs of different mountain territories.
A key message of the strategy is that successful mountain governance requires flexible cooperation structures adapted to local conditions while also enabling collaboration beyond administrative and national borders. The proposed governance approaches can be applied by public authorities, regional organisations, NGOs and other stakeholders working to strengthen cooperation and sustainable development in mountain areas.
The strategy is complemented by four Action Plans, pilot actions and three Toolboxes, providing additional practical guidance, methods and recommendations that support the implementation of participatory governance and long-term cooperation in mountain regions.
The Joint Strategy for Mountain Governance is one of the key long-term results of the CENTRAL MOUNTAINS project. Together with the related outputs, it offers transferable solutions that remain available to support future policies, cooperation initiatives and sustainable mountain development across Central Europe and beyond.
The strategy and related outputs are available in the Outputs section of the project website.