The talks include joint activities between the LNADS Diploma in Mountain Management and Knowledge and the University of Barcelona's Master's in Mountain Area Management, such as shared sessions, international courses and participation in the Summer School.
The Southern Andes Natural Laboratory (LNADS), through its Executive Coordinator Patricio Contreras Fuentes, held a working meeting with the University of Barcelona's Master's in Mountain Area Management, opening up possibilities for academic collaboration on training programs related to mountain territories and socio-environmental management.
The meeting is part of the internationalization efforts of the LNADS, an initiative funded by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID), and aimed to identify areas of connection between the Laboratory's continuing education program and the University of Barcelona's master's degree, which specializes in governance, sustainability and mountain area management.
Possible areas of collaboration include shared sessions between students of the Master's in Mountain Area Management and the LNADS Diploma in Mountain Management and Knowledge, tentatively scheduled for October and November 2026, when both programs will be running. These sessions would create opportunities for exchange around research and experiences related to mountain ecosystems in different territorial contexts.
Both parties also began exploring the co-design of international courses and the joint participation of academics and specialists in future training activities organized by both institutions. These plans also include the possible participation of master's faculty in the LNADS Summer School, scheduled for January 2027.
LNADS Executive Coordinator Patricio Contreras said that conversations like this help strengthen collaboration networks around shared challenges in mountain territories.
"These meetings open dialogue between training programs that work on similar issues in different mountain contexts. The opportunity to share experiences and create joint training spaces helps build more comprehensive perspectives on the environmental, territorial and social challenges these ecosystems face," he said.
The University of Barcelona's Master's in Mountain Area Management is a program focused on the interdisciplinary study of mountain territories, covering sustainability, territorial development, natural hazards and governance. At the LNADS, the Diploma in Mountain Management and Knowledge seeks to strengthen professional and technical capacities to understand and manage mountain territories from a socio-ecological and interdisciplinary perspective.
Connecting the two initiatives opens an opportunity to strengthen the international exchange of knowledge and expand academic collaboration on the Southern Andes of Chile and other mountain territories worldwide.
Over the coming months, both institutions will continue to explore collaboration mechanisms and define possible joint activities within their training programs. These actions are part of the LNADS's work to strengthen international academic networks and promote exchange on research, management and governance of mountain territories.
