Abstract
After intensive fieldwork carried out between April and December 2024 (21 interviews and 1 focus groups), policy recommendations (PRs) have been formulated to suggest avenues to improve the current mechanisms of cross-border cooperation in the Julian Alps, and ultimately to strengthen biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in the study area. Recommendations focus on the following aspects: finding a balance between biodiversity protection and local development, improving public participation and local ownership, the importance of data for decision making, the improvement of horizontal and vertical coordination mechanisms, and capacity building needs of both the institutions and the local population.