Laying the foundations for research collaboration in the Caucasus There is a long history of scientific collaboration in the Caucasus region, but geopolitical shifts since the early ‘90s have led to changes in international relations. With countries in the region facing many common challenges, it’s important to build strong research partnerships and share expertise with practitioners, as Professor Jörg Balsiger explains The Caucasus experienced
dramatic geopolitical shifts following the fall of the Soviet Union, which also affected scientific infrastructures and research relationships in the region. While there is a long history of scientific collaboration in the region, this was mainly during the Soviet era, and since the early ‘90s international relationships have changed. “When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early ‘90s, three countries were created in the Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Because of these new countries’ ambition to assert their independence, their relations with Russia changed,” explains Professor Jörg Balsiger. Based at the University of Geneva, Professor Balsiger is the coordinator of a project aiming to support research collaboration in the Caucasus, working with scientific institutes across the region. “While the countries that are traditionally thought of as part of the Caucasus are the Russian Federation, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, we’re working at the level of the Caucasus ecoregion, which includes Iran and Turkey,” he says. This work is designed to support the Scientific Network for the Caucasus Mountain Region (SNC-mt), which was formed in the Georgian capital Tbilisi in the Spring of 2013. The network was established in recognition of the need for closer collaboration on transnational issues such as water management, cultural heritage conservation and socioeconomic development which affect the wider Caucasus region. This was reflected in the composition of the project. “We decided from the beginning that we wanted to focus
38
on regional issues in the Caucasus, so we wanted to include the surrounding countries,” continues Professor Balsiger. A number of these countries didn’t have the resources required to maintain existing scientific infrastructure following the collapse of the Soviet Union, so in some cases universities and research laboratories went into decline, limiting the scope for scientific collaboration. The project aims to help address this by bringing together researchers from scientific institutions across the region to identify key issues and common challenges. “We aim to identify priority areas of research, to summarise the state of knowledge in the Caucasus. This would then become a tool to be used by scientists, to demonstrate to both potential funders and scientists elsewhere that they have a regional vision, that they do talk to each other,” says Professor Balsiger.
vulnerable to the impact of climate change than others. The topological complexity means that plant and animal species have less room to move,” explains Professor Balsiger. Supporting sustainable mountain development in the region is a key priority, taking into consideration not only the environmental perspective, but also the local economy. “If you come at it from a purely environmental perspective, you might say let people move away, then forests and animal populations can recover. But then you might not have the workforce and local knowledge necessary to maintain the cultural landscape,” points out Professor Balsiger. Research in this kind of area is by nature multi-disciplinary in scope, underlining the wider importance of close scientific collaboration. Professor Balsiger believes the project can have a significant impact in these terms. “The project helps
We aim to identify priority areas of research, to summarise the state of knowledge in the Caucasus. This would then become a tool to be used by scientists, to demonstrate to both potential funders and scientists elsewhere that they have a regional vision Caucasus region The region itself is extremely mountainous and is home to numerous rare plant and animal species, yet this diversity is under threat for two main reasons. One is the issue of rural poverty, which is leading younger people to move away from the area and intensifying pressure on resources, and the other is the impact of climate change. “Mountainous regions are known to be more
scientists to adapt to a changing world by improving organisational capacity with respect to ‘modern’ approaches to teaching, to research collaboration, to the enterprise of science itself and the position of science in society,” he says. One of the key activities within the project is the establishment of an online information and collaboration platform, which provides a basis for continued scientific
EU Research
cooperation between countries in the region. “We talk about trans-disciplinary science, where knowledge is co-produced with stakeholders. We try to promote that, and to do it in a way that builds bridges between scientists and practitioners in the Caucasus,” says Professor Balsiger There are still some major challenges to deal with in terms of encouraging closer scientific collaboration across the Caucasus however, one of which is the region’s linguistic diversity. Over forty different languages are spoken in the region, and unlike their parents the younger generation no longer systematically learns Russian at school. “While Russian remains an important common language, it is only common to those countries that are traditionally thought of as part of the Caucasus, namely Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia,” outlines Professor Balsiger. A summer school for graduate students was organised within the project, which has helped to bridge cultural divides, establish areas of common interest and enable scientists to establish and maintain strong research networks. While continuing geopolitical differences in the region can limit travel between countries, Professor Balsiger believes these challenges can be overcome. “There are serious geopolitical differences in the region. They are always on the horizon, but they don’t affect us in the project directly, as the people who work with us know and trust each other,” he says.
Research collaboration The project is part of the longer-term goal of supporting research collaboration in the Caucasus, and beyond the scope of the current initiative Professor Balsiger is keen to build further on the foundations that have been laid. A further project is currently being negotiated, with potentially a far bigger budget, which will centre on adaptive capacity. “One thematic focus will be disaster risk reduction,” outlines Professor Balsiger. This is a major interest of the Swiss authorities who are set to fund the research, as well as other international partners such
www.euresearcher.com
At a glance Full Project Title Supporting Sustainable Mountain Development in the Caucasus (Sustainable Caucasus) Project Objectives The aim of the “Sustainable Caucasus” project is to support scientific institutions in the Caucasus in their modernization efforts in research and teaching, to increase their attractiveness and international competitiveness by improving the overall framework conditions and to better link research outcomes to development practice. Project Funding Swiss National Science Foundation and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SCOPES Programme).
as UN Environment; Professor Balsiger hopes the project will help broaden the base of expertise across the region. “Over the course of the project we will want to ensure that modern disaster risk reduction management approaches are well known throughout the region, and are streamlined throughout Georgia where they have been piloted. We’ll also work in Armenia and Azerbaijan, and hopefully in Russia, Turkey and Iran,” he says. “We’ll aim to ensure that our scientific network can be a source of expertise and trans-national links between experts and practitioners.” The initiative also aims to make the Caucasus more visible globally, and to help change perceptions of the region. While the Caucasus has a rich cultural heritage and is home to many rare species, like snow leopards, the region is more commonly associated with political instability. “The Caucasus is primarily known internationally as a site of conflict. We aim to help promote a different view of the Caucasus,” says Professor Balsiger.
Project Partners Jörg Balsiger, University of Geneva (Main applicant) • Raisa Gracheva, Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Science • Armen Gevorgyan, Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Republic of Armenia • David Tarkhnishvili, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, Ilia State University (Georgia) • Joseph Salukvadze, Department of Geography, Tbilisi State University (Georgia) • Ramiz Mammadov, Institute of Geography, Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences • Kamran Shayesteh, Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment, Malayer University (Iran) • Mehmet Somuncu and Hakan Yigitbasioglu, Geography Department, Ankara University (Turkey) • Caucasus Network for Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions (sd-caucasus.com) Contact Details Professor Jörg Balsiger University of Geneva Department of Geography and Environment Uni Carl Vogt B308 Boulevard Carl-Vogt 66 1211 Geneva 4 T: +41 22 379 9453 E: joerg.balsiger@unige.ch E: info@caucasus-mt.net W: www.caucasus-mt.net
Professor Jörg Balsiger
Jörg Balsiger is Associate Professor at the Geneva School of Social Sciences and the Institute for Environmental Sciences, as well as Director of the Institute/ Hub for Environmental Governance and Territorial Development. His inter- and transdisciplinary research examines the origins, dynamics and prospects of transboundary environmental and sustainable development cooperation.
39