News
Act now to protect forests: sign the #HandsOffNature petition!
More than 40 percent of the Alpine region is covered by forests. They are not only a defining feature of the landscape, but also a cornerstone of Alpine livelihood, providing building materials, supporting biodiversity, and delivering essential ecosystem services.
Petition against oil companies in skiing
An oil giant as a premium partner: energy company ENI is sponsoring the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Athletes are now calling for a rethink in winter sports with the “Ski Fossil Free” petition.
Experiencing the melting of glaciers
By 2100, only 12 per cent of today’s glaciers will remain in the Alps. In the webinar kicking off the Erasmus+ project “Young Glacier Voices”, glacier experts talked about the disappearing ice.
When nature loses, we all lose
The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the safety of our homes – all depend on strong environmental laws. Right now, those protections are under attack. Once they’re gone, we hand the keys of our future to those who see nature only as a resource to exhaust. In the EU, environmental laws are being gutted, under the promise of “simplification” of the legal system. But in reality, these changes will only profit greed, while endangering the lives of all.
Preserving the water ressource in the French Jura massif : using a holistic method to better share and adapt to climate change
Adaptation of pastoralism to climate change doesn’t only rely on the shoulders of shepherds and livestock farmers. To deal with climate change, it is important to have a global view, understand how stakes intertwine and think about the adaptation of an ecoregion as a whole - otherwise it cannot be sustainable. That’s what Olivier Erard demonstrates within a project led by the Community of Agglomeration of the Pays de Gex and the National Natural Reserve of the High Jura’s mountains range, which objective was to work on the preservation of the water ressource while answering the needs of pastoral farmers.
H2Opportunities: Working together for a sustainable future for Alpine water
Water is one of our most precious resources – and it is increasingly threatened by the climate crisis. The new CIPRA project “H2Opportunities” aims to share knowledge and initiate a dialogue on fair water management in the Alps.
Point of view: Every drop counts
Discussing, eating and laughing together, forging ideas, identifying problems, discovering projects and meeting inspiring people: commitment is contagious, according to Anna Mehrmann and Maya Mathias from CIPRA International, who organised the second Liechtenstein Future Forum Alps on the topic of water in 2025.
A journey to the heart of the glaciers
The Glacier Caravan 2025 visited eight icy giants in Italy, Switzerland and Germany, calling for concrete action on climate change. The international campaign is backed by Legambiente, CIPRA Italy and the Italian Glaciological Committee.
The sound collector
Equipped with a microphone and a keen ear, Ludwig Berger explores the sounds of landscapes. This sound artist makes the climate crisis audible and opens up fascinating impressions, entering hidden sound worlds of the living and the transient.
A journey through the endangered ice world of the Alps
The glaciers of the Alps are melting silently and inexorably. Since 2019, the “Glacier Caravan” has been making this loss visible, documenting the dramatic consequences of the climate crisis and calling for action. A guest article by Vanda Bonardo, President of CIPRA Italy and Head of Legambiente in the Italian Alps.
When mountains break away: living with danger
The collapse of the Birch glacier in the Swiss canton of Valais at the end of May 2025 buried a mountain village beneath it. What solutions are there for dealing with such devastating natural events in the Alpine region?
Green instead of white: the new face of glaciers
The melting of glaciers is creating new habitats: glacier forefields. According to a recent study in Italy’s Gran Paradiso National Park, both vegetation cover and biodiversity are increasing on glacier forefields. However, species that are specialised for cold conditions are at risk.
Point of view: Climate protection requires clear legislation!
Glacier melt, disappearing permafrost, more frequent rockfalls and mudslides: temperatures in the Alpine region are rising faster than the global average – with dramatic consequences for nature and people. That is why decisive climate protection laws are now needed at regional and national level, demands Elisabeth Ladinser, chair of the South Tyrolean Umbrella Organisation for Nature and Environmental Protection and president of CIPRA South Tyrol.
A heat record for June at 5,000 metres
For the first time ever, above-freezing temperatures in June were recorded at over 5,000 metres in the Alps – a new heat record with symbolic significance. At the same time, the new climate report for Austria confirms that the Alpine region is particularly affected by climate change.
Alpine water: who gets the last drop?
Climate change, increasing soil sealing and pollution are all threats to water in the Alps. At the second Liechtenstein FutureForum Alps in Schaan, held at the end of June 2025, around 160 participants from various Alpine countries discussed the future of the water supply.
Climate risks: better to prepare than to wait
Early warning systems for heavy rainfall, prediction models for droughts: the MultiBios project, completed in April 2025, saw biosphere parks from German-speaking countries sharing their experiences in dealing with climate risks. A research team investigated their role in natural hazard management.
YOALIN wins climate competition
CIPRA’s project received the Clima Now Foundation’s Spotlight Prize, worth CHF 50,000. YOALIN is committed to climate-friendly travel.
Too much water, too little water: excursion to the Vienna Woods
How do drones detect illegal campfires? How do settlements protect themselves from the next flood? What do forest fires have in common with avalanches? At the end of November 2024, an excursion to the Vienna Woods Biosphere Reserve by participants in the MultiBios project looked for answers.
Point of view: Let’s plan the energy transition and restoration together!
Alpine spatial planning can help to resolve the contradictions between restoration and the expansion of renewable energy. This requires joint efforts involving the interests of the population and environmental organisations, says Paul Kuncio, Executive Director of CIPRA Austria.
Alarming findings of the Glacier Caravan 2024
Italy's Alpine glaciers are disappearing at a disturbing rate: this is the alarming finding of the Glacier Caravan 2024, organised by the environmental organisation Legambiente in collaboration with CIPRA Italy and the Italian Glaciological Committee.
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.
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.
Getting stones rolling
Workshops, excursions, art cards, podcasts: the results of the CIPRA “SteinReich” project, which focused on drystone walls and cairns, are diverse and tangible.
Alpine huts: the first victims of the climate crisis?
Water shortages, disintegrating mountains and renovation needs: managing Alpine huts has always been difficult, but the climate crisis is making the situation even worse. The Austrian Alpine Association has already issued an “Emergency call from the Alps”.
AlpWeek 2024 in Nova Gorica
Two decades ago, “AlpWeek” was held for the first time in Slovenia as an international event organised by Alpine organisations. It will return there from 23 to 25 September 2024.
20,000 climate-friendly kilometres
At the end of June 2024, 35 young people – previously unknown to each other – met in Slovenia. They were part of the Yoalin project, in which 105 (out of over 2,200 applicants) are travelling the Alps this summer in a climate-friendly way using an Interrail ticket.
Young people’s demands for a good life in the Alps
Environmental protection, car-free mobility and better work-life balance: these were the political demands of young people from Germany, France, Slovenia and Liechtenstein at the end of the CIPRA “Alpine Compass” project.
Healthy Alps, healthy people
What risks and side effects does the climate crisis have for our health? How can we best treat the symptoms? These are the questions explored in AlpsInsight no. 111, published in June 2024.
Green light for Nature Restoration in the EU
The majority of EU environment ministers voted in favour of the Nature Restoration Law on 17 June 2024. The decisive factor was the courageous and foresighted last-minute approval by Austria's Environment Minister.
The final glacier melt
Glaciers have been suffering from the consequences of climate change for years, but the latest figures from the Alpine countries are nevertheless alarming: measurements from 2022-23 show that the glaciers in the Alps shrank by more than ever before. A researcher from the Austrian Alpine Association describes the situation as “miserable as hell”.