Project description
Climate resilience through ecovillage land stewardship
As climate-related disasters become more frequent, there is a growing need for approaches that strengthen communities’ capacity to adapt. Although ecovillages are known for promoting sustainable living, little is known about the role of land stewardship methods in enhancing resilience and preparedness against climate. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the GATHER project is investigating the processes, challenges, and opportunities associated with sustainable land management within community governance in Southern Europe. Research will be conducted in ecovillages found in Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The findings will be used in developing toolkits, training modules, scientific papers, and digital storytelling materials, among others.
Objective
As ecological disasters intensify across Southern Europe and the urgency for transformative climate solutions grows, community-led initiatives (CLIs) are emerging as powerful agents of socio-ecological transformation. Among these, ecovillages–intentional, sustainable communities–offer a promising commons-based climate adaptation strategy. Existing research on ecovillages and climate change has prioritized organizational dimensions, neglecting a critical examination of how ecovillages may foster adaptive capacity through land stewardship practices among residents. This gap is significant, as effective climate adaptation requires localized, place-based solutions that center non-extractive relationships between humans and nature. Using a mixed-methods participatory action research approach, GATHER combines surveys with a Photovoice methodology to 1) describe how ecovillages across Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece conceptualize and implement land stewardship practices to build adaptive capacity and strengthen disaster resilience and 2) identify the barriers, enablers, and opportunities to embed sustainable land stewardship practices in ecovillage governance, thereby supporting place-based adaptation. Findings will inform practical toolkits describing best practices for implementing land stewardship into ecovillage community governance, a series of adaptable training modules on land stewardship and climate adaptation strategies for CLIs, publications on sustainability transformation theory, and a digital storytelling exhibit. Collaboration with ecovillage networks and interdisciplinary scholars at ISCTE will enable international knowledge exchange, skill development in participatory methodologies, and high-impact publications. Additionally, GATHER will provide teaching and mentorship opportunities that will enhance the fellow’s trajectory as an independent researcher, while positioning ISCTE as a leader in equitable, nature-centered climate adaptation.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering ecosystem-based management climate change adaptation
- social sciences sociology governance crisis management
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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1649-026 Lisboa
Portugal
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