Major challenges in regional environmental governance research and practice

The international workshop "Regional environmental governance: international approaches, theoretical issues, comparative designs" (REGov) - held at the University of Geneva on 16-18 June 2010 - was organized as a collaborative initiative of scholars and practitioners who share a concern with the regional dimensions of environmental governance. The workshop's overarching objective was to foster constructive encounters and fruitful exchange. To this end, the organizers identified and invited internationally renowned scholars from the fields of geography and political science, as well as senior practitioners from such organizations as the United Nations Environment Programme, European Environment Agency, International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and the European Association of Elected Representatives from Mountain Areas. Additionally, a competitively selected group of doctoral students and young scholars presented original research. This article presents the major themes and challenges in regional environmental governance research and practice, which were discussed at the REGov workshop. All presentations were recorded and are available as streaming video at http://reg-observatory.org/outputs.html. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.