Mountains for Sustainability Training School: Memories of the Forest, Pastoral Life, and Human–Nature Relations

Serra da Estrela, Portugal, 17 – 18 October, 2025

Location: Manteigas, Serra da Estrela, Portugal
Dates: 17 – 18 October 2025
Application deadline: 9 October, 2025
How to apply: To participate please fill in the following Google Form.

At the heart of this Training School are the memories and lived experiences of local mountain communities – especially shepherds and rural residents – memories of forests and pastures, of shepherding and transhumance, of wildfires, animals, and rural life. These testimonies capture not only ways of living with nature but also the challenges of survival and adaptation in fragile ecosystems. Preserving them means safeguarding a biocultural heritage that is both local and universal, while also strengthening the resilience of the communities themselves.

This Training School will engage participants in exploring these intersections of ecology, memory, and resilience, building on the Mountains for Sustainability initiative and projects such as Memories of the Forest.

Particular attention will be given to human–animal relations, the cultural significance of pastoralism and transhumance, and the role of memory as a resource for sustainable futures.

Programme

Participants

This Training School will bring together researchers, students, practitioners, and local community members. It will especially engage pastoralists, firefighters, rural residents, and educators as key voices and partners.