News
Ländergender - cross-border gender mainstreaming
As part of the Interreg IIIA Ländergender Project the governments of Vorarlberg/A, St. Gallen/CH and Liechtenstein plan to pool their efforts aimed at equal opportunities for men and women. The aim is to co-ordinate - and assist with - the implementation of gender mainstreaming in the regional administrations of the Lake Constance Region.
54th mountain film festival in Trento
(27.01.2006) The International Mountain Film Festival is to be held in Trento/I for the 54th time from 29 April to 7 May 2006. This unique festival worldwide is devoted to mountains, exploration and adventure.
International Master of Landscape Architecture
(12.01.2006) The Master of Landscape Architecture (IMLA) at the University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil/CH is to be expanded in 2006, and will now also be available jointly at the Universities of Nürtingen-Geislingen/D and Weihenstephan/D.
GenderAlp!: Gender-sensitive spatial planning is possible
(15.12.2005) The Interreg IIIB Project "GenderAlp! Spatial Development for Women and Men" has been up and running for a year now. The Land of Salzburg/A as lead partner already has a number of project results to show. "Needs-oriented spatial planning for women and men in Salzburg" is just one of 47 partial projects by GenderAlp!
CIPRA Yearly Symposium 2006: tourism and regional planning in weather stress
(01.12.2005) The 2006 Yearly Symposium of the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA) is to be held in Bad Hindelang/D from 18 to 20 May. The Symposium is to focus on the growing threat to alpine regions posed by natural hazards and the impact of the climate change on alpine tourism.
New issue of the Journal of Alpine Research series
The latest issue of the Revue de Géographie Alpine series comprises five specialist articles on a variety of topics. One article examines the causes of flooding and the measures that are necessary to prevent it based on the example of the Isère/F region while another article focuses on sustainable water management in general.
Alpine summit flora undergoing rapid change
As part of their study on the "Influence of Climate Change on Succession Processes and Population Dynamics of Vegetation in Alpine Environments" research teams at the universities of Hanover/D and Zurich/CH have concluded that the rate of change in the floristic composition of vegetation in the Swiss Alps is increasing all the time. According to the experts this trend is consistent with global climate change.
Satellite technology in South Tyrol
By October of next year, South Tyrol/I wants to be able to receive data from the various earth observation satellites and evaluate it at a purpose-built facility at the European Academy in Bolzano.
€160,000 in prize money for sustainable projects in the Alpine region
CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, has awarded prizes worth a total of €160,000 to eight outstanding projects aimed at sustainable development in the Alpine region. The awards for the Future in the Alps Competition were presented today at CIPRA's annual conference in Brig/CH.
Alpine experience for Afghanistan
Mountain Wilderness International regularly trains young mountain guides in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The first Alpinism course focusing on a caring approach to nature in the upper Panshir valley was completed only recently. 22 young Afghan men and women took part in the training course.
Space observation to assist risk management in the Alps
Satellites are to be used in a bid to improve the risk management of landslides, avalanches, mudslides and floods in Alpine regions. This is the objective of the latest ASSIST (Alpine Safety, Security and Informational Services and Technologies) research project, which is currently being launched as part of the European "Global Monitoring for Environment and Security" (GMES) initiative.
Exchange of know-how on hydrogeological disruptions
The CATCHRISK project (mitigation of hydro-geological risk in alpine catchments) is in its end phase.
Berchtesgaden National Park in a wheelchair
The model project "No Barriers at the Berchtesgaden National Park" is to get underway in Berchtesgaden/D in July 2005. The project is to look at ways in which people with physical disabilities or restricted mobility can gain access to unspoilt natural environments.
Red deer a tasty treat for Italian wolves
Italian researchers have been analysing the excrements of two packs of wolves roaming Italy's Alpine region.
Nepalese Sherpas in Tyrol
27 Sherpas from Nepal are currently attending training courses at refuges in Austria's Tyrol province.
Dolomites of Peace - debating peace today at yesterday's scenes of war
"Dolomites of Peace" is the name of a series of nine events devoted to the subject of peace to be run by writers, philosophers, actors, church representatives and experts between 1 July and 24 August.
Fewer glaciers, more earthquakes?
According to the results of research carried out by the Universities of Münster/D and Berne/CH, the advance and retreat of glaciers and lakes can trigger earthquakes.
2005 Junior Ranger Camp - Protected areas and cross-border co-operation
From 31 July to 6 August the Gesäuse National Park in Austria is hosting an International Junior Ranger Camp. Junior Ranger is the name of a European pilot project co-ordinated by EUROPARC which is targeted at young people from the affiliated protected areas and the regions bordering on them.
New book: the good alpine air
A new publication in the series "Revue de géographie alpine/journal of alpine research" is devoted to the subject of the air in the Alps. The mountain air has played a major role in the history of the Alps since the end of the 18th century.
Rolex rewards the spirit of enterprise
The Rolex Awards are for outstanding initiatives in relation with the environment, cultural heritage, science and medicine, technology and innovation as well as research and discovery.
The Alps as a wellness region - New EU project
January 2005 saw the launch of the Alpshealthcomp Project aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of the alpine region as a health and wellness destination. The partners of Alpshealthcomp, a project of the EU Community Initiative Interreg IIIB Alpine Space Programme, come from Italy, Austria and Germany, the project itself being endowed with around one million euros.
New Master of Science Programme on the Management of Protected Areas
The University of Klagenfurt/A has created a new study programme on the subject of the Management of Protected Areas. The two-year course in English is to be launched in September 2005. While the first semester focuses on theoretical and scientific foundations, the second and third semesters look at practical aspects of the management of protected areas.
2005 international conference on development in rural mountain areas
From 1 - 3 September 2005 the Italian RURALIA association is holding a two-day conference in the Piedmont entitled "Architecture and Landscape in Rural Mountain Areas and their Social and Economic Development". The objective of the conference is to consider proposals for saving villages from decline and rehabilitating rural buildings for new uses.
Major climate change as a threat to the flora and fauna
A new study published by WWF International addresses the threat of rapid climate change and its impacts on the flora and fauna. For many species, the natural mechanisms of adaptation are no longer capable of coping with the sheer speed of change.
Satellite handsets for Scotland's first mountain museum
If two Scottish visitor centres have their way, tourists in the Highlands will soon be walking about with hand-held computers. That will help turn Schiehallion Mountain into a dedicated mountain museum, and Helmsdale will become a centre for Scottish gold-panning tours. The postcard-sized computers employ a technology that is similar to the GPS system to be found in modern cars, and they are programmed like traditional museum audio guides.
53rd "Città di Trento" Mountain Film Festival
The 53rd "Città di Trento" Mountain Film Festival is being held from 30 April to 8 May 2005. The festival is devoted to mountain, research and adventure films, with "Arctic & Antarctic - North Pole & South Pole" as the theme selected for 2005.
Artificial high water affects ecology of running water
A new WWF study shows that the artificial high-water (surges) and low-water (sinks) caused daily by hydraulic power plants are having disastrous repercussions on the ecosystem of running water.
8th Alpine ministerial meeting: mixed results
At the 8th Alpine Conference held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen/D on 16 November the Environment Ministers of the alpine states were unable to reach agreement on drawing up a legally binding "Population and Culture" protocol for the Alpine Convention. In the area of transport however the alpine states intend to set a new direction.
Storm Lothar not an ecological disaster
Storm damage does not pose a threat to the long-term conservation of Switzerland's forests; rather it contributes to forest renewal and promotes biodiversity.
As free as a bird? Light pollution a hazard for migratory birds
More and more migratory birds are falling prey to night-time lighting conditions as they fly south. A closed cover of low-lying fog such as the one that prevailed over large areas of Switzerland in mid-October seriously disrupts the migratory birds' ability to orientate themselves; combined with towns and villages that are brightly lit at night it can represent a death trap for the birds.