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Leaving few traces along the way

How do we leave as few traces as possible on our way to the mountains or other attractions? On 22 November 2021, around 150 participants travelled virtually through the Alps during an online conference and exchanged ideas on measures to guide visitors in sensitive natural areas.

Onto the slopes by helicopter

Is heliskiing in the public interest? Vorarlberg extends its authorisation by two and a half years: CIPRA Austria calls for greater emphasis on climate protection.

Point of view: Let's finally press the reset button in tourism!

Mass tourism in the Alps has collapsed due to the ongoing Corona pandemic, and the opportunities for switching to environmentally and socially just tourism have increased. But they must also be exploited, says Hans Weber, Executive Director of CIPRA Switzerland.

A voyage of discovery along the Via Alpina

On with your hiking boots, get set, go! To mark the 20th anniversary of the Via Alpina, the long-distance hiking trail across the Alps, CIPRA International is awarding eight hiking scholarships with the support of the VAUDE Sport Albrecht von Dewitz Foundation. Applications will be accepted up until 6 February.

Online conference: Building an Alpine-wide web of shepherding organisations

The return of large carnivores in the Alps has many consequences on alpine farming and on the work and practises of shepherding. CIPRA International invites representatives from shepherding organisations in the Alpine region, representatives from agricultural schools and organisations as well as responsible authorities that have developed curriculums for herders to a virtual conference to discuss needs and opportunities for a cross-border shepherd organisation.

Via Alpina Explorer 2022

[Project completed] Hiking boots on, get set, go! To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Via Alpina, the long-distance hiking trail across the Alps, we are awarding eight hiking scholarships of €1,500 each to selected individuals with the support of the VAUDE Sport Albrecht von Dewitz Foundation.

Eco.mont special issue: Biosphere Reserves in Mountain Regions

On the occasion of 50 years Man and the Biosphere Programme the Austrian MAB National Committee has organized and financed a special issue on Biosphere Reserves in Mountain Regions in eco.mont. The special issue contains 16 articles from four out of five MAB regions.

New alliance for European mountain regions

Three umbrella organizations committed to mountaineering and sustainability in European mountain regions decided, at the end of November 2021, to join forces: the Club Arc Alpin (CAA), the European Union of Mountaineering Associations (EUMA) and the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA).

New alliance for European mountain regions

Global warming, excessive tourism and landscape degradation require the very highest degree of multifaceted solutions. Three umbrella organizations committed to mountaineering and sustainability in European mountain regions therefore decided, at the end of November 2021, to join forces: the Club Arc Alpin (CAA), the European Union of Mountaineering Associations (EUMA) and the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA).

Saving:Soils

[Project completed] With its project “Saving:Soils”, CIPRA is working for a trend reversal in the use of land in peri-urban areas in order to put scientific findings into practice, make pilot examples visible and encourage imitation.

For drinkable water

In a referendum held at the beginning of July, Slovenia’s citizens voted by a clear majority in favour of preserving the shore and coastal zones. In doing so, they overturned a new law that would also have affected Alpine waters.

Abandoned and uncultivated

Remote mountain villages in Piedmont/I have been struggling with heavy emigration for years. The region is now supporting people moving back to the mountains. A study from Austria shows how endangered Alpine agriculture actually is.

Innovations and aberrations

Helicopter flights and Australian white wine on the one hand, an eco-museum and recycled smartphones on the other: positive and negative awards from environmental organisations point the way to a more sustainable future.

How much hydropower is ecologically sustainable ?

Renovate power plants instead of building new ones, preserve the last freshwater pearls, coordinate use and protection across countries: CIPRA has published a position paper with detailed technical demands on the use of hydropower in the Alps.

Do you speak Alps?

A different dialect in every community: the linguistic diversity of the Alps is fascinating and constantly changing, which also makes it interesting for linguists. Using modern methods such as crowdsourcing, a research project is collecting dialect words across the Alps for a digital, living lexicon.

Point of view: Water will not tolerate resistance

Extreme weather conditions are also increasingly affecting the Alps. The climate crisis is driving this development. Can more and more dams, barriers or power stations solve the problem and at the same time satisfy the growing hunger for energy? We must work with the power of water rather than against it, says Kaspar Schuler, CIPRA’s Executive Director and co-author of CIPRA’s new position paper on hydropower.

Climate crisis makes mountains crumble

Rockfalls and rockslides are nothing new in the Alps, but dwindling permafrost is making the situation even worse – for mountaineering and for villages.

8th Report on the State of the Alps: Air quality in the Alps

How much is nature worth?

Alpine pastures that provide us with food. Trees that provide a pleasant microclimate. Alpine landscapes that heal and touch. At the beginning of July 2021, around 100 participants from all Alpine countries discussed the benefits and value of nature in the Alpine region at CIPRA’s Annual Conference in Biella/I.

Dangers with wolves

The wolves are back: a CIPRA project now sheds light on why transparent communication, professional herding and more networking are needed.

Alpine plants: persistent and endangered

Spiked rue, glacier buttercup, saxifrage: the habitat of such alpine plants is shrinking with the glaciers, as a recent study shows. In addition to climate change, mountain plants are also suffering from nitrogen deposition.

Darkness is worth protecting

Insect mortality, fewer pollinated plants, disoriented migratory birds, disturbed sleeping rhythms: the worldwide increase in light pollution has an enormous impact on flora, fauna and humans – including in the Alpine region.

Where pesticides do not belong

On children’s playgrounds, in schoolyards and at the marketplace: researchers from Italy, Austria and Germany detect 32 different agricultural poisons in public places in South Tyrol.

speciAlps2

[Project completed] More and more people are seeking recreation and balance in the natural surroundings of the Alps. This trend is not only being reinforced by the corona crisis, but also by society’s increasing pressure to perform. This puts increasing pressure on animals and plants, but also on destinations with their infrastructure and inhabitants. It is essential for visitors to be guided: the speciAlps2 project raised awareness of the protection of nature and landscape in the Alps and developed measures to guide visitors.

Alpine landscape is not renewable!

Landscape is a key to negotiating social and political issues. CIPRA has taken up these issues as part of its Alpine-wide priority theme “Landscape” 2019-2020. This position paper, which was developed in a broad and participatory process with CIPRA representatives, young Alpine women and experts from all Alpine countries, is the conclusion of this priority theme.

Point of view: A plea for colourful cities

Corona has strikingly shown how important accessible local recreation areas are for our well-being. Over 70 percent of the Alpine population live in cities. There is a great deal of potential for action there in particular, says Magdalena Holzer, Project Manager at CIPRA International.

Pesticides trial opens

No criticism of pesticides wanted: a South Tyrolean provincial council, along with over 1300 farmers, has accused pesticide critics of libel.

Monitoring Alpine biodiversity

Photo traps, audio recorders, soil samples: a unique research project in the Alps documents the effects of the climate crisis on biodiversity in the Berchtesgaden National Park/D. The findings will also benefit other mountain regions.

Hut transport: mules as an alternative

For centuries, mules and horses have transported goods in mountainous regions. What used to be the only means of transport has nowadays mostly been replaced by helicopter. A nature park in Piedmont, Italy, is now organising the delivery of goods to mountain huts by mule, while environmentally friendly alternatives to helicopters are also being tested elsewhere.

Living mountain forests

Climate protector and habitat, recreational area and timber supplier: forests have many functions, both in the natural ecosystem and for humans. CIPRA Slovenia's “GozdNega / Forest Care” project aims to convince forest owners of the benefits of climate-friendly management.