The Carpathians are strongly affected by land abandonment, leading to forest succession on meadows and pastures. These changes alter ecosystem services: they reduce biodiversity, limit food production and pollination, and diminish cultural and aesthetic landscape values.

At the same time, forest succession can increase carbon sequestration, reduce soil erosion, and create habitats for many species, including large mammals. Additional pressure comes from the development of former agricultural land, causing habitat loss, disrupted ecological connectivity, and social conflicts.

In the Gorce Mountains, these processes overlap, and differing stakeholder perspectives lead to socio-environmental tensions. Understanding how these changes are perceived is crucial for future spatial planning. There is still a lack of interdisciplinary approaches linking ecological processes with social perspectives.

This project aims to better understand stakeholder preferences regarding landscape change in the Gorce Mountains and to initiate the co-creation of a long-term development vision that balances nature conservation with socio-economic needs. The project will apply design thinking to support a creative, participatory process involving diverse stakeholders.

The first stage will establish a cooperation networkincluding residents, farmers, entrepreneurs, tourism representatives, public administration, NGOs, conservation institutions, forestry services, and scientists. The next stage will involve co-creation workshops, including educational walks with interviews, focus group interviews, interpretive walks, and mapping of ecosystem services. The final phase will focus on jointly developing future development scenarios that integrate environmental protection with local socio-economic priorities.

The project will result in a lasting cooperation network, the collection of local knowledge and stakeholder perspectives, and the development of scenarios for the Gorce Mountains up to 2050, supporting collaborative solutions for the region’s future.