News
€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.
Transalpine exchange on research into protected areas
The third research symposium of the Hohe Tauern National Park/A, which was held for the first time as a transalpine conference on research into protected areas, ended on 17 September. At the conference 72 scientists from eight countries discussed a range of cross-border issues.
Alpine Protected Areas - from co-operation to ecological network
The Alpine Network of Protected Areas is celebrating its 10th anniversary as part of the international conference on "Alpine Protected Areas: Between History, Development and Challenges".
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.
Partnership between the Alps and the Carpathians
On 16 June UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the WWF launched a new partnership between the Alps and the Carpathians in Montecatini/I.
Why wait? Pull down those unused mountain installations now!
Anyone who comes across unused installations or buildings while out hiking or mountaineering in the Swiss Alps should take part in the Wilderness Olympics 2005 and notify Mountain Wilderness (MW) of their "find".
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.
Snowcats and man-made snow as a threat to plant diversity
The number of plant species growing on mountain slopes used for ski trails in Switzerland is eleven percent lower than on adjoining sites. The reduction is especially striking in the case of woody and early flowering plants.
Conference to mark the 70th anniversary of Passo Stelvio National Park
This year marks the seventieth anniversary of Passo Stelvio National Park in Italy. To celebrate the occasion the management of the National Park is organising a big weekend event with three scientific conferences on 8-11 September 2005.
New EU project: AlpNaTour
The Interreg IIIB AlpNaTour Project has been up and running since the start of this year. The Project focuses on practical ways of integrating recreation and tourism concerns in management planning processes of Natura 2000 sites. The Project is to provide a guideline and checklists for the management of Natura 2000 sites influenced by the economic interests of tourism and recreation.
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.
Environmental risk assessment partly abolished in Austria
On March 2 Austria's Lower House of Parliament, the National Council, adopted a number of key changes to the statutory basis of environmental risk assessments. Under the amendment mandatory environmental risk assessments have been waived for specific projects (construction of or modifications to leisure and recreation parks, sports stadiums, etc.).
Research on the economic significance of the landscape
What is the monetary value of the Alpine landscape for the resident populations and tourists? This question was studied in the framework of Swiss National Research Programme NFP48 "Landscapes and Living Spaces in the Alps".
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.
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.
From vegetable plots to supermarkets: land consumption in France
The French association for regional planning and rural development has recently published a white paper on the subject of land consumption as a result of urbanisation, entitled "The End of the Landscape?". More and more arable land is being built up with residential buildings and industrial parks, and land consumption is progressing at an alarming pace.
Mount Everest put forward for UNESCO World Heritage in Danger List
The Mount Everest region is at risk from global warming and should therefore be included on the UNESCO's World Heritage in Danger List. Mountaineers and representatives of the environmental group Friends of the Earth submitted a petition to the UNESCO Committee at the end of November.
Mountains in the Mediterranean Region Project presented at the IUCN Congress
Italy's Environment Minister presented the Mountains in the Mediterranean Region Project at the IUCN Congress held in Bangkok from 17 to 25 November.
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.
New publications show: biodiversity still on the wane
The "Biodiversität in der Schweiz" (Biodiversity in Switzerland) study published by the Biodiversity Forum Switzerland has concluded that genetic diversity and biodiversity are more at risk in Switzerland than in most other European countries.
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.
More protection against GMO crossover
The Environment Ministers of Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Germany have called for genetically modified plants to be regulated by cross-border legislation. At the traditional annual meeting held in Potsdam on 16 September the four Ministers discussed not only ecological and transport policy issues but also how to deal with gene technology in agriculture.
Greater co-operation to protect against natural hazards
Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein intend to co-operate even more closely to protect against natural hazards in the Alps. This decision was taken by the four German-language Environmental Ministers at this year's meeting in Potsdam/D. The Ministers concurred that natural catastrophes in the Alps were likely to occur more and more often despite all the efforts being made with regard to climate protection.
Environment Award of Switzerland
For the fifth time already the Pro Aqua-Pro Vita Foundation is organising its Environment Award of Switzerland. The Award is open to private individuals, companies and institutions from all countries, and the closing deadline is 15 December.
New publication: "Path to Nature's Wisdom - Ecological Dialogue Himalaya and Alps"
The Naturschutzbund Steiermark/A has published a German and English conference book following the international conference "Path to Nature's Wisdom - Ecological Dialogue Himalaya and Alps". The conference was held in Graz/A from 9 to 11 October 2002 as part of the UN's International Year of the Mountains 2002, under the patronage of the Dalai Lama.
Thesis on dead wood and the preservation of biodiversity in forests
At the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne/CH the doctoral candidate Rita Bütler has looked at the question of how much dead wood is enough for biodiversity conservation in managed forests.