The IGU Commission of Mountain Studies (CMS) announced its new Honorary Members during the CMS Business Meeting held on 19 August 2026, as part of the IGU Regional Conference Istanbul 2026.
The Honorary Memberships recognize distinguished scholars whose research, academic leadership, and longstanding contributions have helped shape mountain geography and advance mountain studies internationally.
During the meeting, CMS Chair Fausto Sarmiento introduced the newly recognized Honorary Members and highlighted their contributions to mountain research and to the historical development of the IGU’s mountain commissions.
New CMS Honorary Members
Posthumous Honorary Member
Prof. Emeritus Carl Troll† – University of Bonn, Germany
Carl Troll (1899–1975) was one of the pioneering figures of modern mountain geography. His work was particularly influential in the development of geoecology and the comparative geography of the world’s high mountains, establishing an important intellectual foundation for subsequent generations of mountain research.
Posthumous Honorary Member
Prof. Emeritus Bruno Messerli† – University of Bern, Switzerland
Bruno Messerli (1931–2019) was one of the leading international figures in mountain research and played a major role in strengthening the position of mountains within global science and sustainability agendas. His interdisciplinary work helped connect mountain environments, resources, societies, and sustainable development.
Prof. Emeritus Jörg Stadelbauer – University of Freiburg, Germany
Jörg Stadelbauer contributed to human geography and mountain studies and played an important role in the institutional history of the IGU mountain commissions. As a former Chair of the Commission, he contributed to maintaining and developing international cooperation in mountain geography.
Prof. Emeritus Matthias Winiger – University of Bonn, Germany
Matthias Winiger is a former Chair of the IGU mountain commission and contributed to the development of international mountain research during an important period in the Commission’s history. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Bonn.
Prof. Dr. Jörg Löffler – University of Bonn, Germany
Jörg Löffler, also a former Chair of the Commission, is a mountain geographer whose research encompasses climatology, ecology, biogeography, Arctic–alpine ecosystems, long-term ecosystem research, and comparative mountain research, with particular attention to nature–society interactions.
Prof. Emerita Carol P. Harden – University of Tennessee, USA
Carol P. Harden is internationally recognized for her research in geomorphology, water resources, and human–environment interactions in mountain watersheds. Her extensive work in the Ecuadorian Andes has contributed to understanding the relationships between human activities and physical and hydrological processes in mountain environments.
Prof. Emeritus Teiji Watanabe – Hokkaido University, Japan
Teiji Watanabe specializes in mountain geography and has conducted extensive research on relationships between people and natural environments in the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Pamir. His work has particularly emphasized how mountain communities can develop sustainable relationships with natural environmental resources.
Prof. Dr. Andrea Fischer – Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
Andrea Fischer is Deputy Director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and leads its Glaciers and Permafrost research group. Her research encompasses mountain research, glaciology, permafrost, hydrology, and climatology, contributing particularly to understanding environmental and cryospheric change in high-mountain regions.
Honorary Diploma Presented to Teiji Watanabe
A special moment during the Business Meeting was the in-person presentation of the Honorary Membership Diploma to Prof. Emeritus Teiji Watanabe, who attended the meeting in Istanbul.
Following the introduction of the Honorary Members and their contributions by CMS Chair Fausto Sarmiento, CMS Secretary Neslihan Dal read the Commission’s Honorary Membership recognition and presented the diploma to Prof. Watanabe in acknowledgement of his longstanding contributions to mountain geography and the international mountain research community.
