On 29 May 2026 GEO Mountains convened its first General Meeting of the year at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in Geneva and online, bringing together members and partner organisations to share updates and knowledge and exchange on potential synergies. The meeting, co-hosted by the WMO and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Secretariat, organised right after the GEO Symposium, focused on identifying opportunities for delivering usable data and interoperable monitoring systems, strengthening youth engagement, and translating mountain science into policy‑relevant products for global conventions and national planning. The meeting saw 119 registrations from 35 countries, including Switzerland, Paraguay, Ecuador, Pakistan, Tajikistan, China, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Colombia, Nepal, India, Indonesia, Austria, Sweden, Georgia, United States of America, Chile, Kenya, Germany, Perú, Armenia, France, United Kingdom, Greece, Bolivia, Türkiye, Norway, Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Argentina, Andorra, Mongolia, Uganda, Poland.
Priorities and commitments for 2026–2028
GEO Mountains was confirmed as a GEO Initiative for in GEO’s post‑2025 Work Programme, as mentioned in a previous meeting. Key priorities for the upcoming period were outlined: integrate socio‑economic indicators with EO and in‑situ observations; advance interoperability with WMO systems; scale youth engagement and capacity building; and deliver policy outputs including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Technical Guidelines on EO for Mountains (target to launch in 2027). The GEO Mountains Secretariat reported that 20 small‑grant projects have been supported to date (2023–2025), with over 300 proposals received for the 2026–2027 call; the final list of selected projects will be announced in Q3 2026. The Spatialised MEAs database prototype is ready for review, and the GEO Mountains Youth Ideathon (Obergurgl, 2–8 July 2026) will feed outputs into the Regional Mountain Conference.
Strengthening observations and data sharing
A recurring theme was the need to move from fragmented data portals to interoperable systems built on agreed standards. Narelle van der Wel, World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), emphasised that harmonised best practice and data exchange are essential to avoid duplicating effort and struggles with incompatible formats.The Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) is advancing guidance on instrumentation, variables and data sharing, working to integrate key datasets into WMO systems.
Rui Kotani and Kalamkas Yessimkhanova, GEO Secretariat, demonstrated how the GEO Knowledge Hub can support this vision by serving as a central repository for EO applications, methods, scripts and datasets. The Hub with rich metadata, versioning, DOI assignment and hosting (up to 20 GB per resource), enabling to train users and link outputs across platforms. The GEO‑Youth Community of Practice (GEO-YOUTH) was also presented, which offers mentorship, ideathons and practical webinars; the GEO Secretariat invited GEO Mountains to contribute knowledge packages and propose mentors for the new mentorship programme.
Small grants deliver actionable datasets
Two Small‑Grant recipients presented results that connect field observations, modelling and regional collaboration to policy and planning. Yan Zhong, University of Geneva, reported that her team compiled, through the REACH project, a verified regional hydropower installations geodatabase and modelled cascading rock‑ice avalanche across High Mountain Asia. The findings show that: “More than half of the hydropower installations in High Mountain Asia are exposed to rock‑ice avalanche hazards,” and roughly 9% fall into the highest‑risk categories. Cascading flow paths intersect over 600 glacial lakes, yet only about 40% of those lakes had been previously classified as dangerous. Outputs include an ArcGIS StoryMap, and a Kathmandu workshop (May 2026) that identified data gaps. The team is in discussions with the Asian Development Bank to integrate findings into hydropower planning frameworks.
Rubén Basantes‑Serrano, Universidad de Tecnología Experimental YachayTech (Ecuador), presented the Andean glacier mass‑balance reanalysis, which homogenised approximately 3,800 point mass‑balance records and applied nonlinear spatio‑temporal modelling with geodetic calibration to produce distributed annual estimates (2000–2020). Results confirm persistent negative cumulative balances with regional variability; calibrated estimates reduce the magnitude of loss for some glaciers. The project delivered a beta mass‑balance algorithm, technical guidance for homogenising observations, and a dataset feeding broader analyses. Rubén emphasised the practical output: a freely accessible tool that enables national institutes and researchers to standardise their own mass‑balance estimates across the Andes.
Evaluating adaptation with community perception, EO and in‑situ validation
Julia Aguilera Rodríguez, University of Geneva, presented findings from an evaluation of five adaptation solutions in Andean sites, conducted under the Adaptation at Altitude programme. Using semi‑structured interviews, field visits and document review, the study assessed effectiveness and post‑project sustainability from beneficiary perspectives. Two case studies, wetland management in Argentina’s Laguna de los Pozuelos and greenhouse cultivation in Ecuador’s Cuyuja and Papallacta parishes, showed that interventions embedded in favourable social and institutional contexts, offering tangible short‑term benefits and designed with planned handover, are more likely to be sustained. Julia stressed that conventional evaluations risk overestimating sustainability if they do not track post‑project continuity, and proposed that “EO can complement community perception and light in‑situ validation” to strengthen long‑term monitoring. She outlined three working layers: community perception capturing lived experience; EO‑derived biophysical indicators (vegetation density, soil moisture, flood extent); and light in‑situ validation that communities can support when strong ownership exists.
Communicating mountain science to policymakers
Alex Mackey, Zoï Environment Network, demonstrated how targeted communications translate mountain science to policy-makers. Zoï’s recent policy brief “Mountain Ecosystems for a Resilient Future” examined climate change and biodiversity challenges in mountains and provided policy pathways for the UNFCCC and CBD conventions, emphasising that mountain platforms “play a pivotal role to advance both biodiversity and climate action across all levels.” A companion brief on legislative solutions showcased specific laws relevant to climate adaptation in mountains, such as the Bhutan Water Act, Colombia’s páramo protections, Tajikistan’s glacier protection law, Georgia’s mountain development law, with commentary on legislative processes and outcomes.
Participatory mapping and sustainable land management
Tatenda Lemann, WOCAT, showcased the Global Sustainable Land Management Database (over 2,500 field‑tested good practices across 136 countries) and participatory approaches for mapping land degradation in mountains. WOCAT’s standardised templates capture technical specifications, costs, impacts and environmental conditions, enabling practitioners to find and replicate solutions in similar contexts. The database is interoperable via API with platforms including the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’s monitoring framework, UNCCD toolboxes and national portals. Tatenda demonstrated Google Earth Engine applications developed with countries (e.g., Bhutan) that allow multi‑stakeholder groups to compare land productivity dynamics layers, integrate national data and reach consensus on where degradation is occurring and which good practices to implement. He emphasised that single‑expert maps or single layers cannot gain the trust and ownership needed for national planning.
The GEO Mountains General Meeting demonstrated a clear shift from discussion to delivery, with actionable datasets, policy-relevant tools and capacity-building commitments now moving from design to implementation. As mountain regions face accelerating climate change and other pressures, the Initiative’s focus on interoperable systems, youth engagement and science-to-policy translation positions it to support national planning and global conventions with grounded, usable evidence.
The slides can be downloaded here and the recording of the meeting is available upon request (geomountains@mountainresearchinitiative.org).
Cover image by GEO Mountains.