Introduction

Mountain ecosystems represent some of the most fragile yet culturally rich landscapes globally. They host unique biodiversity, provide essential ecosystem services, and sustain traditional livelihoods. However, these areas face increasing pressures from climate change, unsustainable tourism, land-use change, biodiversity loss, and the gradual disappearance of traditional ecological practices.

Engaging volunteers in environmental activities has emerged as a powerful strategy to address these challenges while strengthening community stewardship and increasing environmental awareness.

Environmental volunteering is widely recognized as making important contributions to conservation and environmental stewardship, while also promoting long-term pro-environmental behavior and offering physical and mental wellbeing benefits (Kragh et al., 2016; Molsher & Townsend, 2016). Recent research has highlighted the broader social benefits of environmental volunteering, including increased social interaction, improved wellbeing, knowledge development, and practical skills acquisition (Miller et al., 2002; Molsher & Townsend, 2016; O'Brien et al., 2010; Pillemer et al., 2009).

There is also increasing evidence that younger generations are highly interested in environmental volunteering, especially when opportunities are active, meaningful, skill-based, flexible, and linked to real-world environmental challenges.

Given that global conservation efforts increasingly rely on voluntary participation and community stewardship, there is a growing need to design volunteer engagement models that are inclusive, place-based, and relevant to contemporary environmental realities (Winch et al., 2021).

This report was inspired by activities implemented under thePeakED Project, particularly the Regional PeakED Youth Camp and Dibeen Forest Reserve Living Lab Activity.

The project PeakED – Environmental Involvement and Education for Young Entrepreneurs and Volunteers promotes innovative environmental education, youth empowerment, climate resilience, and Living Labs learning approaches across Europe and the Middle East.

Through outdoor learning, stakeholder engagement, mountain-based workshops, and community centered environmental activities, PeakED created space for reflection on how volunteers— particularly young people—can become active contributors to the protection of mountain ecosystems and cultural heritage. The lessons emerging from these experiences strongly informed this report.