The HSE University Hosted the LEARRM-2026 International Conference
From June 16 to 19, 2026, the International Laboratory of Landscape Ecology of the HSE Faculty of Geography and Geoinformation Technologies held the international scientific conference "Landscape Ecology: Adaptation, Resource, and Risk Management" (LEARRM-2026). The conference, held in Moscow on the HSE campus on Pokrovsky Boulevard, featured a mixed format
LEARRM-2026 focused on contemporary landscape ecology and its applied significance for the analysis of natural and natural-anthropogenic systems. The program focused on adaptation of territories to climate change, sustainable land management, ecosystem service assessment, natural and climate risks, digital mapping, remote sensing, and the use of big spatial data. The conference brought together researchers from Russia, China, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, and Belarus. The program included representatives from Russian universities and research institutes, as well as international research organizations, including Renmin University of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing Normal University, and the Mongolian University of Life Sciences.
The plenary session set the overall framework for the conference. Presentations covered forest ecosystem dynamics, climate risks, mathematical landscape morphology, sustainable pasture management, the carbon balance of southern taiga landscapes, urbanization, and water risks. During the discussion, participants noted that modern landscape ecology increasingly operates at the intersection of field research, remote sensing, modeling, and management objectives. Thematic sections explored this agenda across various spatial scales—from urban green spaces and agricultural lands to steppes, forests, peatlands, mountainous areas, permafrost zones, and periglacial landscapes. Separate sections were devoted to the history and dynamics of landscapes, the structure and functioning of natural complexes, cultural landscapes and socio-ecological systems, ecosystem services, and nature-based solutions.
Considerable attention was given to climate adaptation and natural and climatic risks. Participants discussed risk profiling of territories, economic damage from landscape fires, the resilience of forest and pasture systems, the state of peatlands, the restoration of meadow communities, climate-smart agriculture, and agroecosystem management. These topics demonstrated the applied role of landscape ecology in planning, nature management, and the assessment of territorial resilience. A key focus of the conference was digital methods for landscape analysis. Presentations focused on GIS, remote sensing, laser scanning, automated mapping, geomorphometric modeling, and machine learning. The digital section demonstrated that big spatial data is becoming not just an auxiliary tool, but a key foundation of modern landscape ecology. The program concluded with a roundtable discussion, "Artificial Intelligence in Geographical Research and Education." Participants discussed how neural network models, geoplatforms, and machine learning methods are changing the practice of analyzing natural and anthropogenic ecosystems, training geoanalysts, and developing applied solutions. Particular attention was paid to the reproducibility of digital models, data quality, and methodological training of researchers.
One of the results of LEARRM-2026 was the strengthening of international scientific contacts, primarily in the areas of agro- and urban ecology, pasture socio-ecological systems, biodiversity, climate-smart agriculture, natural and climate risks, and the application of big data. A collection of materials was prepared following the conference, which is planned for subsequent publication and indexing in the Russian Science Citation Index. For the International Laboratory of Landscape Ecology, the conference was an important step in the development of its research and educational agenda. LEARRM-2026 demonstrated that landscape ecology today unites climate science, geoinformation technologies, field research, environmental management, and socio-economic analysis. The organizing committee views the conference as the basis for a regular international HSE platform on landscape ecology, climate adaptation, and natural hazard management.
Summary abstracts of the papers and the final program are available on the conference website: https://geography.hse.ru/learrm-2026/. Video recordings of the online sessions are available at https://disk.yandex.ru/d/CH6wOB1cngRqyA.
