Political positions of CIPRA

Tourism & Leisure — Sep 13, 2002

Friends-of-Nature Wildhaus Declaration: tourism and sustainability in the 21st century

Tourism needs an intact natural environment, a vibrant cultural life, and a fair partnership between visitors and visited. As an economic sector, tourism is directly dependent on sustainability. The Declaration calls upon the tourism industry, the tourism regions, governments and individual tourists to curb the consumption of natural resources and reduce the burden of traffic caused by tourism traffic. It also calls on tourism to contribute towards eliminating poverty and to implement a sustainable destination and transport policy for the environment.

Jun 29, 2002

Berchtesgaden Declaration on regional co-operation in mountain regions 2002

At the end of June 2002 a conference on international co-operation between the mountain regions of the world was held in Berchtesgaden. The participants at the conference presented ten fundamental principles for regional co-operation. The principles underscore the key responsibility of governments and the need for regional co-operation to ensure the sustainable and proper management of mountain regions. Equal rights, decentralisation and the involvement of resident populations are essential in achieving sustainable development. Measures aimed at establishing cross-border partnerships and networks for the exchange of experience and the dissemination of knowledge are of crucial importance in bringing regional co-operation to life. The Declaration is aimed at governments, the international community, the private sector and NGOs.

Mobility & Transport — Apr 03, 2007

Vienna Declaration by the Regional Conference on Transport and the Environment 1997

The Declaration was adopted by the governments of the member states of the UN Economic Commission for Europe. The states pledge to take steps aimed at reducing the negative impact of transport and traffic on the environment and on health. Energy-efficient and ecological vehicles and fuels as well as efficient and sustainable transport systems are to be encouraged and sensitive regions protected. The UNECE members are also planning to encourage the safe transport of hazardous substances and adopt measures aimed at protecting water resources from pollution. Annexed to the Declaration is a programme with a description of potential measures and solutions in the area of transport and the environment. http://www.unece.org/doc/ece/rcte/ece.rcte.conf..2.final.e.pdf

News on Alpine Politics

Italy to chair Alpine Convention in 2025

Alpine Politics — Jan 27, 2025

Sophie V. Mahlknecht, CIPRA International

Italy to chair Alpine Convention in 2025

Italy is preparing to chair the Alpine Convention for the period 2025-2026, while Liechtenstein and Austria will co-chair the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) in 2025. Sustainability and cross-border cooperation are the focus of both initiatives.

Alpine Politics — Oct 09, 2024

Michael Gams, CIPRA International

The battle for Alpine water

A revival of the hydropower boom: 70 years ago, many Alpine rivers were dammed for the benefit of power stations, while valuable high valleys were built over. Today, new requirements are threatening their ecological functions. In view of the dwindling glaciers and increasing utilisation demands, a distribution battle is looming.

Alpine Politics — Oct 09, 2024

Sophie V. Mahlknecht, CIPRA International

Protecting Alpine biodiversity

In September 2024, CIPRA launched two innovative Interreg projects: LiveAlpsNature and AlpsLife. These projects are helping to protect biodiversity in the Alps and meet the growing challenges posed by the climate crisis and intensive tourism.

Point of view: Let’s prioritise youth over tourism

Alpine Politics — Oct 09, 2024

Dijana Čataković

Point of view: Let’s prioritise youth over tourism

We want young people to stay on the land, but the demands of tourism, high property prices and the landscape as an object of speculation make this difficult. We talk about the fight against the climate and biodiversity crisis, all while shopping centres and business parks are being built in the countryside. Environmental protection and solutions to the housing crisis should be prioritised, as this would also be in the interests of young people, says Dijana Čataković from CIPRA Slovenia. She asks: Who else will be able to live in the Alps and afford to live there?

Point of view of CIPRA

Point of view: the excessive character of the Olympics

Nature — May 11, 2022

Vanda Bonardo, CIPRA Italy

Point of view: the excessive character of the Olympics

High construction costs, unused sports facilities, environmentally damaging large-scale projects: loud criticism continues to surround the staging of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina/I. We must ask whether such sporting events still have a place in the Alps, says Vanda Bonardo, President of CIPRA Italy.

Point of view: Let's finally press the reset button in tourism!

People — Feb 03, 2022

Hans Weber, CIPRA Switzerland

Point of view: Let's finally press the reset button in tourism!

Mass tourism in the Alps has collapsed due to the ongoing Corona pandemic, and the opportunities for switching to environmentally and socially just tourism have increased. But they must also be exploited, says Hans Weber, Executive Director of CIPRA Switzerland.

Point of view: Water will not tolerate resistance

Alpine Politics — Oct 06, 2021

Kaspar Schuler, CIPRA International

Point of view: Water will not tolerate resistance

Extreme weather conditions are also increasingly affecting the Alps. The climate crisis is driving this development. Can more and more dams, barriers or power stations solve the problem and at the same time satisfy the growing hunger for energy? We must work with the power of water rather than against it, says Kaspar Schuler, CIPRA’s Executive Director and co-author of CIPRA’s new position paper on hydropower.