News
Identity needs culture
CIPRA Switzerland. Growth-orientated regional politics in Switzerland today are aimed first and foremost at economic development and at prioritising hubs and development axes. The potential afforded by mountain regions with their diverse culture is barely recognised.
Creating and testing new ways
Climate change, scarce resources, development pressures: there is a global need for new ways and forms of social and economic cohabitation. The Alps too are the setting for social innovations.
A beacon for sustainable tourism
The second weekend in August will once again see the “Fire across the Alps” burning. In this, the UN Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, these watch-fires are intended to stimulate ideas as to the necessary changes for tourism in the Alps.
Give youth a voice! How youth participation can be encouraged in the Alpine space
How can young people become more involved in political processes? What good examples already exist for this? These questions were the central issues at a workshop held in the context of the GaYA project in Bozen/Bolzano.
Pesticides: a tug of war
Pesticides damage the environment, threaten useful species like bees, pollute the water in the Alps, while some are suspected of causing cancer. They nevertheless appear to be indispensable in conventional agriculture.
Reliable partnerships right across the Alps
CIPRA Austria, CIPRA Germany, CIPRA South Tyrol. Right now the cable car industry is all about superlatives. Indeed, the “world’s greatest glacier ski area” is to be created by linking up the ski resorts in the Austrian Pitztal and Ötztal valleys.
Spray-painting for environmental protection
CIPRA South Tyrol. Urban Green – How does the young generation imagine its city of the future?
“A picture speaks a thousand words” - SPARE Project communicating through multimedia
With a brand new collection of infographics and photo books the SPARE Project partners aim at visually communicating the current river management processes in each of the project’s five Pilot Case Study sites.
Point of view: Biodiversity Conservation: less talk, more action
May 22nd marks the International Day for Biological Diversity, an initiative brought into life by the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2000. Martha Dunbar, Project Manager for Biodiversity and Landscape, fears that now in 2017 we are still treading water.
Alpine Convention puts equality on the agenda
With a women’s conference and a declaration, the Austrian presidency has placed a new topic on the agenda of the Alpine Convention – and raised expectations. But where do things go from here?
No ski-lift connection permitted in nature reserve
The Federal State of Upper Austria gave its legal opinion on the expansion of the “Höss-Wurzeralm” ski area in April. The matter is now on file.
Transit traffic: a partial success on the Gotthard Pass
The Gotthard Pass has seen a historic low in transalpine goods traffic since the adoption of the law governing the modal shift. In contrast, the number of trucks crossing the Brenner Pass continues to increase.
Point of view: A "man's world" and "women's work": time to move on
Equal opportunities are still a women’s topic . Yet there are sufficient reasons to treat it as an issue for society as a whole. Everyone benefits – especially in the Alps, believes Barbara Wülser, deputy director of CIPRA International.
Networked for the Alps
CIPRA is a small organisation that can boast a large network. Its annual report shows how this permits people to tackle the challenges facing the Alps together.
Polluted glaciers
Pesticides, herbicides, medicines – all these materials were found at over 2,700 metres above sea level. The water flowing down from the Presena glacier into the valley reflects this state of affairs.
Paddling for the “blue heart” of Europe
The end of March saw the start of the Balkan Rivers Tour in Slovenia, the largest water protection action in Europe. The aim is to protect its last unspoilt rivers.
International Day of Action for Rivers
Fishing, farming, swimming, canoeing, hiking, drinking…. All in all, we are thousands of people benefiting from the resources provided by alpine rivers. However, only healthy rivers can provide these so-called ecosystem services. Alpine river ecosystems are vulnerable and often under pressure from various human activities. Can we do more to protect them? Yes!
Economic activity in mountain areas
What can – and cannot – mountain areas do? Two new studies from Germany and Switzerland show the opportunities and weaknesses of regional economies and demonstrate that mountain areas can help in determining their own economic future.
The wandering classroom
Young people spend the majority of their school time indoors. The new “whatsalp youth” project moves the classroom into the mountains and learning into the great outdoors.
Urban regions show the way forward
The “Alpine Town of the Year” association is celebrating its 20th anniversary. A brief summary of the facts shows that throughout the past years Alpine cities have been pioneers of sustainable development in the Alps.
Winter tourism – a destination shaping change
What are the challenges facing winter tourism in these times of climate change and new patterns of visitor behaviour? CIPRA takes a fictional resort and presents the possible decisions and their consequences: the interactive presentation is accompanied by a web dossier and a position paper.
CIPRA mourns Wolfgang Burhenne
The nature conservationist and environmental campaigner Wolfgang Burhenne, whose activities took him all round the world, died on 6 January 2017. The 93-year old was a co-founder and the first secretary-general of CIPRA.
Foundations laid for Triglav National Park
It has taken 16 years, but the management plan for Slovenia’s only national park is now ready. The participatory process has ensured that it is broad-based in nature.
Open Alps 2017
The end of 2016 saw the announcement of the winners of the 2017 “Open Alps” human rights award. This honour is given to individuals or groups who actively work for the rights of refugees, immigrants, socially disadvantaged persons and threatened minorities in Europe.
Sad, but true
Tignes, located in the French Alps, is responding to the retreat of glaciers, and thus of the available ski pistes, with a very special project of its own:
New project financing ensures a sound basis
Migration, youth participation, mobility, spatial planning: CIPRA International has recently received assurances for the financing of projects in these areas. Here is an overview.
Point of view: Adaptation to climate change is inevitable
Despite progress in international climate policy, a rise in temperatures is inevitable. An adaptation now will save costs later, states Wolfgang Pfefferkorn, project manager for climate and energy at CIPRA International. Alpine regions are leading the way.
The Alpine Convention declares itself in favour of the “Green Economy”
How should a sustainable economy in the Alpine region look? The Alpine conference held in Grassau, Germany, in October 2016 adopted a report on this topic: its implementation will show how well-suited it actually is.