Brigitte Portner
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brigitteportner.bsky.social
Brigitte Portner
@brigitteportner.bsky.social
29 followers 45 following 16 posts
mountains ∙ sustainability transformations ∙ scholarly communication ∙ community. Focused on turning knowledge into action. She/her. @mrdjournal.bsky.social @cdeunibe.bsky.social
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brigitteportner.bsky.social
Feeling frightened by heavy news?

Get your application in and become an active changemaker for better futures. 👇🏻

#academicsky #change #transformation
cdeunibe.bsky.social Centre for Development and Environment CDE, University of Bern @cdeunibe.bsky.social · 5d
🌍🌿 Shape the future! Apply now for the Master’s in Sustainability Transformations @unibe.ch, tackle global challenges, and become a changemaker. 💡
More details & application info 👉 t.ly/SIsAX
📅 Apply by 30 April 2026
🌐 International? Apply early for visa processing.
#sustainability #studies
January 8, 2026 at 7:24 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
mrdjournal.bsky.social
Another issue is complete! Articles examine changes in yak herding in Nepal, challenges in implementing science–society interaction policies in mountain biosphere reserves worldwide, and topography’s role in socioeconomic development in the European Alps. Read the issue: bioone.org/toc/mred/45/4
Cover page of Mountain Research and Development, Volume 45, Number 4. The cover photo by Dipak Raj Rai shows countless pieces of chhurpi—a hard cheese made from yak buttermilk—stored on overhead racks in a dark room with an earthen floor, stone walls, and a black wooden ceiling. The room also contains a wooden chair, baskets, and various other utensils. The chhurpi was produced by a private dairy in Gatlang, Nepal. While the state-supported marketization of yak products has boosted some households’ income, it is simultaneously eroding traditional sustainable herding practices and causing environmental degradation, as shown in the article by Indra Mani Rai and colleagues in this issue.
December 30, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
mrdjournal.bsky.social
In a study of science–society interactions in 18 mountain biosphere reserves across 4 continents, A. Mitrofanenko and coauthors find that the reserves hold great potential to link science and society in advancing sustainability—but tapping it requires consistent support. doi.org/10.1659/mrd....
University students engage in a landscape assessment during a field excursion in the Dedoplistskaro Biosphere Reserve, Georgia, guided by a local ranger. They are standing in a circle in a green meadow on a gently sloping ridge, listening to the ranger’s explanations. A wide and flat valley stretches out in the background, lined by another green mountain ridge on its far side. Photo by Alexander Mitrofanenko.
December 26, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
mrdjournal.bsky.social
A new article by M. Lambracht and T. Chilla of @fau.de examines the interplay between topography and socioeconomic factors in the European Alps. It shows that development in mountain regions is never determined by topography alone; other factors are also key. Get the details: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....
Where relief is dominant: Switzerland’s Lauterbrunnen is an example of a settlement in a topographically challenging environment. The summer scene photographed by Markus Lambracht shows part of the village, including its church, and the vertical cliffs, hundreds of meters high, towering over the narrow valley on both sides. The snowy peaks of the high alps are visible above the cliffs.
December 17, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
fidromanistik.bsky.social
The French 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 (#CNRS) is canceling the #WebOfScience and encouraging its affiliates to use #OpenAlex. From January 1st 2026, the CNRS will cut access to one of the largest commercial bibliometric databases: www.cnrs.fr/en/update/cn...
The CNRS is breaking free from the Web of Science
From January 1st 2026, the CNRS will cut access to one of the largest commercial bibliometric databases, Clarivate Analytics'
www.cnrs.fr
December 3, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
cdeunibe.bsky.social
🐝🌿 In der letzten Episode unseres Podcasts 𝗨𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 erzählen die vier Forschenden Eric Allan, Astrid Zabel, Olivier Pichard & Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel von ihren Wünschen für eine biodiversitätsfreundlichere Landnutzung.
🎧 (EN / DE / FR) 👉 t.ly/8KJmv
👀 Übersetzung 👉 t.ly/if6KL
Sound recording on a forest ground
November 20, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
mrdjournal.bsky.social
2/2 In their guest editorial, Jörg Balsiger, Anne B. Zimmermann, João C. Azevedo, and Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt not only present the issue’s articles but also reflect on different framings of innovation and propose considering it as a multidimensional, context-specific concept: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....
Innovative adaptive practices in mountain communities often emerge from local resource constraints and community needs, as highlighted by Zhou and He in their contribution to this issue. In Guangming village, Yunnan, China, farmer cooperatives have succeeded in enhancing creation of value added in the local walnut trade by establishing processing facilities, such as this drying facility, in the village. The photo by Weijia Zhou shows a man shoveling walnuts in the drying room. The nuts lie in heaps on an aerated wire mesh floor resting on evenly spaced-out wooden beams; some nuts are packed in mesh bags. The room has light gray walls and a ceiling made of wooden beams.
November 19, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
mrdjournal.bsky.social
1/2 How can innovation contribute to sustainability in mountains? Articles in this focus issue explore the question from different angles, providing insights from China and various European mountain contexts and showcasing the diversity of the concept. Have a look: bioone.org/toc/mred/45/3
Cover of Mountain Research and Development Vol 45, No 3, with a photo by Gusztáv Nemes showing a henhouse made of mud, wood, straw, and stones to keep the animals cool, warm, and safe. It is fitted with a solar-panel-driven door that closes automatically at sunset to keep foxes out. This is an example of hybrid innovation—merging old and new technology—found in a mountain product value chain in Hungary that was among the many mountain product value chains analyzed in one of the articles in the issue.
November 19, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
jamesgdyke.info
"Warming is going to exceed 1.5°C. We are heading into “overshoot” within the next few years. The world is going to become more turbulent and more dangerous. So, what comes after failure?" Some thoughts from Johan Rockstrom & me 10 years after Paris Agreement.

theconversation.com/the-world-lo...
The world lost the climate gamble. Now it faces a dangerous new reality
The world bet on collective but voluntary action to keep global warming at a safe level.
theconversation.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
lossanddamage.bsky.social
1/10. 📣 MUST DO BETTER: 📢Early this morning the #COP30. Presidency released a new text 📜 for the #GlobalMutirão but it still does not go far enough to urgently scale up 📈 #LossAndDamage action and support!🤯
November 21, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
cdeunibe.bsky.social
👂🦆 1/2 «Das Hörbare ermöglicht eine andere Art, wie wir unsere Umwelt wahrnehmen», sagt Olivier Pichard, Klangforscher in Lille (F). In der 3. Folge unseres Podcasts 𝗨𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆. Und er erklärt, wie Frankreich das sensorische Erbe seiner Landschaften schützt. 🌿
🎧 (FR) 👉 t.ly/xnxdT
Olivier Pichard
November 13, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
cdeunibe.bsky.social
🌿We can learn a lot from Indigenous peoples about how to protect ecosystems, says Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel (#CDE & @wyssacademy.bsky.social) in episode 4 of our podcast 𝗨𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆. And she explains why this is key to our future.
🎧 t.ly/gGmba
#IndigenousKnowledge
Sarah-Lan Mathez-Stiefel Recording device on forest ground
November 18, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
cdeunibe.bsky.social
🌿1/2 «Wir sollten Geräusche & Gerüche der Natur stärker in den Schutz der #Biodiversität einbeziehen», so Astrid Zabel, CDE, in der 2. Folge unseres Podcasts 𝗨𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆. Denn ohne Verbindung zur Natur verlieren wir das Gefühl dafür, was wir schützen wollen. 🌱

🎧(DE) 👉 t.ly/fMEwP
Astrid Zabel
November 11, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
mrdjournal.bsky.social
Does a circular economy lend itself as a sustainable way forward for high mountain regions? In a Delphi survey among stakeholders in Valle d’Aosta, Italy, Domenico Tassone and Dario Musolino found it would—but transitioning requires cultural change and targeted policies: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....
View of Valle d’Aosta from Bard Fortress. Photo by Dario Musolino. The flat valley floor with green fields, some trees, and small towns has a powerline, a highway, the river Dora Baltea, and a road running along it. It is nested between steep mountains consisting partly of forested slopes and partly of bare cliffs and rock faces. The stone roof of the fortress is visible in the foreground.
November 11, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
cdeunibe.bsky.social
1/2 🐝 «Wir haben viel ruhigere Graslandschaften, da wir die Insekten verlieren.» In der 1. Folge unseres Podcasts 𝗨𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 stellt Eric Allen @unibe.ch ein Biodiversitäts-Langzeitexperiment vor und zeigt auf, warum das Summen in der Landschaft wichtig ist. 🌿
🎧 (EN) 👉 t.ly/4BD99
Eric Allen
November 5, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
lswisnom.bsky.social
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
mrdjournal.bsky.social
Market-driven yak herding in Gatlang, Nepal, is threatening traditional sustainable grazing practices. Policies must recognize and integrate these traditional practices to sustain mountain ecosystems. Read the article by Indra Mani Rai and coauthors: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....
#MountainsMatter
A herder takes chauri (female yaks) up a dirt road to the designated pasture for day herding in the village of Gatlang. Photo by Dipak Raj Rai
September 19, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
mrdjournal.bsky.social
How can Alpine regions transition to renewables while preserving landscapes and open spaces? Marco Pütz and colleagues discuss the role of spatial planning and propose an agenda for future development and governance: doi.org/10.1659/mrd....
@wslresearch.bsky.social @bokuvienna.bsky.social
A snowy, sunny winter scenery, with the upper station of a ski lift and some skiers the foreground and several hills with numerous wind turbines in the background. These are the wind farms of Pretul, Steinriegel, and Hochpürtschling in Styria, Austria. A total of 48 wind turbines produce 115 MW, providing approximately 75,000 households with electricity. © Schindelegger 2020
November 3, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
thierryaaron.bsky.social
I was recently invited to present my thoughts on the role of universities in the #climate crisis

Several audience members asked that I share my slides, so I've decided to post them here too as an open resource

I'd love any feedback, & for you to share examples of projects & best practice.

Long 🧵😊
October 26, 2025 at 4:57 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
rishpardikar.bsky.social
A critical remembrance of Jane Goodall for the latest issue of @thecontinent.org. Open to comments and feedback www.thecontinent.org/_files/ugd/2...
October 17, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
mrdjournal.bsky.social
We are looking for topic editors to join the team!

Help shape knowledge for sustainable mountain futures and be part of a unique, not-for-profit, community-supported scientific journal aiming for societal impact!

Find out more and apply by 24 Oct: t.ly/PAzBF

#AcademicSky #MountainsMatter
Social media card with a background photo of snow-covered mountains towering over a landscape of rocks, grass, and fir trees, taken by Susanne Wymann von Dach, and the following text: “Mountain Research and Development is looking for Topic Editors to join the editorial team! Apply now and help shape knowledge for sustainable mountain futures!” At the bottom right is the journal’s logo showing the upper left corner of a tilted stack of three papers, resembling a mountain range, and the text “Mountain Research and Development.”
September 22, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
kojamf.bsky.social
Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.
October 5, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
mrdjournal.bsky.social
Big thanks for yesterday’s inspiring training session and energizing networking event at #IMC25. We’re grateful for the learning and connections!

#MountainResearch #Collaboration #MountainFutures
MRD associate editor Susanne Wymann von Dach shares useful tips with a diverse audience of mountain researchers on how to get their papers published in a peer-reviewed journal. Theresa Tribaldos, Managing Director of the International Mountain Society, presents the quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal Mountain Research and Development, which is published by the society.
September 18, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
mrdjournal.bsky.social
Are you at #IMC25? Come visit us at SOWI, 2nd floor!
We have a shared MRD/IMS table and are happy to chat about
- publishing your research,
- the possibility of your becoming an MRD topic editor,
- our special issue from #IMC25,
- and anything else you’d like to discuss!
#MountainsMatter
Photo showing shared presentation table of the journal Mountain Research and Development and its publisher, the International Mountain Society, with flyers laid out, posters on the wall behind, and two people standing and talking next to it.
September 15, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Reposted by Brigitte Portner
brigitteportner.bsky.social
🌍 Bachelor’s & Master’s students from anywhere in the world, if you care about #sustainability transformations - this is for you! Find out more 👇🏻 and apply by 15 October 2025.

#AcademicSky #OnlineCourse #sustainabilitytransformations
cdeunibe.bsky.social Centre for Development and Environment CDE, University of Bern @cdeunibe.bsky.social · Aug 19
Achieving human well-being & eradicating poverty for all – while protecting climate & biodiversity – requires change.
You can be a part of it! Join us at the 2026 Online International #WinterSchool on #SustainableDevelopment for Bachelor’s & Master’s Students
📅 26-30 Jan. 2026
Apply now👉 t.ly/6ebzA
Mural showing trees and hands in different colours, background is a blue sky
August 21, 2025 at 7:13 AM