News
Alpine Convention: concrete measures on behalf of the climate
On November 9 the environment ministers of the alpine states convened for the Alpine Conference, which is held every two years.
New brochure on International Mountain Partnerships
The Alpine Convention as such is not transferable to other regions. However many of its principles and the experience gained with the Alpine process in particular have proved of value to the sustainable development of non-alpine mountain regions.
Know-how transfer within the Alps and beyond
CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, is organising an international workshop series under the motto of "Circulating Knowledge - Networking People".
Synthesis report: Utilising the value of Alpine landscapes
The Swiss National Fund Programme on "Landscapes and Habitats of the Alps" recently published its synthesis report (de/fr) on the research focus entitled "Land Use and Adding Values".
Trends in the mountain regions of Switzerland - the view of the locals on DVD
Two new ethnographic films have been released as part of the Swiss National Fund Programme on "Landscapes and Habitats in the Alps".
Rainfall can trigger earthquakes
A new study shows causal links between rainfall and earth tremors.
Climate-neutral winter holidays in Arosa
In co-operation with the company ClimatePartner the holiday region of Arosa/CH is the first resort in the Alps to offer climate-neutral winter holidays.
Environmental management at campsites in South Tyrol
Twelve campsite operators in South Tyrol are planning to introduce an environmental management system as part of the Eco-camping Project.
The Alps should become a model climate region
CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, is calling for an Alpine Convention (AC) action plan on climate protection. CIPRA has sent a letter to this effect to the Environment Ministers of the Alpine countries and the EU, who are meeting in Alpbach/A on 8 and 9 November for the 9th Alpine Conference.
Fertilizer use causes long-term disruption to alpine eco-systems
A study by the Swiss national research programme on "Landscapes and Habitats of the Alp" supports the assumption that alpine eco-systems do not react particularly flexibly to human intervention.
Festival of occupational diversity in mountain regions
This year's international festival of "mountain professions" (Métiers de Montagne) is being held in Chambéry/F from 23 to 26 November.
Conference proceedings on "Exploring the Nature of Management"
The conference proceedings for the 3rd International Conference on the Monitoring and Management of Visitors Flows in Recreational and Protected Areas have just been published.
Ecological wood-welding technology with a future
Scientists from Switzerland and France have now developed a new joinery method called wood welding.
Results of the IPAM Project now published
The IPAM (Integrative Protected Area Management) Project co-financed by the EU focused on the exchange of experience and on methods and instruments of planning and management in protected areas.
King Albert Mountain Award an Werner Bätzing
Last week the King Albert I Memorial Foundation honoured seven mountain experts with golden awards. One of the Awards went to Germany's Werner Bätzing as a "leading expert on problems of the Alps as a whole".
New handbook on sustainable agriculture in the Alps
The new "Guidelines for promoting sustainable agriculture in Alpine mountain regions" in four languages (de/fr/it/en) contains numerous recommendations for the planning and implementation of projects and measures aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture in Alpine mountain regions.
Conference publication with findings of the AlpWeek 2004
"The Alps of the Next Generation" was the theme of the AlpWeek 2004 held in Kranjska Gora/SI, a conference which looked at ways of finding solution approaches to current problems and staged a number of scientific discussions.
Delimitation of the Carpathian Convention area - Pilot study
Die Europäische Akademie in Bozen/I publizierte kürzlich eine englischsprachige Pilotstudie zur Implementierung internationaler Berggebietskonventionen.
alpKnowhow knowledge base
The alpKnowhow knowledge base is now available here. For each of the six topics a work report, examples of best practice and a range of publications are provided in English. A cross-topic synthesis report complete with two appendices has also been compiled.
Cross-border network of Caucasian mountain villages
Mountain communities in the Caucasus have adopted a memorandum aimed at establishing a cross-border community network modelled on the "Alliance in the Alps".
New publication on the Eurovignette directive
The EU's revised Eurovignette directive, which is to harmonise the rules governing road tolls for lorries, has been in force since June 2006, and a new publication takes a detailed look at it.
New publication: Alps : points of view
A new illustrated book documents the different views of local populations on life in the Alps.
Sondrio is the 2007 Alpine Town of the Year
In August Sondrio/I was officially awarded the title of 2007 Alpine Town of the Year. The award pays tribute to Sondrio's commitment to enhancing the municipality's ecological, cultural and tourist status.
Alpine protected areas: a new international agency in Chambéry
The administration of the Network of Alpine Protected Areas (ALPARC) was transferred to the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention (AK) by the French government on 10 July 2006
Ice-free Alps just a matter of decades?
A new study by the Glaciology and Geomorphodynamics Research Group led by glaciologist Michael Zemp of the Department of Geography at the University of Zurich/CH provides real figures on the past, present and potential future glacier cover in the Alps.
Switzerland: NEAT costs have doubled
More than 600 participants from all over Europe recently convened in Lucerne/CH for this year's Swiss Tunnel Congress to find out more about the state of progress with the New Alps Transversal Route, or Neat.
Future research and transnational cooperation in the Alps
The June issue of the Journal of alpine research bears the title "Future research and transnational cooperation in the Alps". Four contributions in two languages (French and English) are devoted to this theme.
Know-how for the Alps online
Within the project "Future in the Alps" of the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps CIPRA, experts have collected, prepared and put on the web exhaustive knowledge about sustainable development in the Alps. With this, the part of the project called "alpKnowHow" has been completed, and the extensive knowledge base is online at www.cipra.org/zukunft .
Austria: Federation money for the implementation of the Alpine Convention
In Austria the Federation recognises the potential of the Alpine Convention (AC) and, in the future, it will directly fund its implementation. So far, the AC was often considered as pure "prohibition law". Recently it has found access in the Austrian Federation programme for country development.
Biodiversity in Europe's mountains
At what point is Europe on the way to halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010? With respect to this issue, the European Environment Agency has drafted a report in English, in which a chapter is devoted to biodiversity in mountain ecosystems.