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IAG/AIG Regional Conference on Geomorphology 
”Landslides, Floods and Global Environmental Change in Mountain 

Regions”

Braşov, September 15–26, 2008

Between the International Conferences in Zaragoza (2005) and Melbourne (2009), the 
International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG/AIG) managed to organize extraor-
dinarily numerous meetings: in Goiânia (Brazil, 2006), in Kota Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia, 
2007) and in Braşov (Romania, 2008). At the Romanian meeting, the broad international 
participation was accompanied by the presence of all IAG/AIG offi  cers – from President 
to Webmaster. The chief organizer was Prof Dan Bălteanu and his colleagues from the 
Institute of Geography, Romanian Academy of Sciences in Bucharest. Support was provided 
by the Romanian National Council of Scientifi c Research of Higher Education (CNCSIS). 
The summer school for young geomorphologists (where a Hungarian youth also took 
part) was fi nanced by the Romanian Ministry of Education, Research and Youth and the 
National Authority for Scientifi c Research (ANCS).

Participants of the IAG/AIG Regional Conference visiting the open air ethnographical 
                                                                     museum in Bran



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The venue was well selected next to the centre of the old town, in the building 
of the Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering of the Transilvania University. The 
participants appreciated that registration, accomodation and fi eld trip costs were kept 
aff ordably low. 

The scientifi c programme was fairly comprehensive for a regional conference. 
Oral and poster presentations included topics from the fi elds of landslide mapping, his-
tory, and susceptibility assessment, fl ood risk assessment, river geomorphology and sedi-
ment dynamics, techniques in natural hazards investigations and environmental change. 
Most of the plenary papers by the internationally best known experts (D. Bălteanu, M. 
Fort, M. Crozier, I. Alcántara Ayala and F. Audemard) dealt with the problems of 
landslides from New Zealand to Venezuela. Added to this programme, several Working 
Groups (Geomorphological Hazards, Geomorphology and Society, Human Impact on the 
Landscape and the Carpatho-Balkan-Dinaric Regional Working Group) had paper sessions 
and business meetings. 

The cultural events with local food and music, the one-day trip to Poiana Braşov 
(led by B. Mihai) and the post-conference fi eld trips aquainting us with the problems of 
landslides and fl oods in the Fagaraş Mountains (led by V. Surdeanu and P. Urdea) and in 
Sighişoara and the Curvature Carpathians (led by M. Micu) were equally a success. 

We are grateful for the organizers who made this conference a memorable event 
for all participants.

Dénes Lóczy