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Fires aglow for alpine protected areas
The "Fire across the Alps" event aims to send a glowing message on behalf of alpine policy in 2004, too. The emphasis this year is on alpine protected areas. Other "pot burners" include transit traffic and local issues. The fires also symbolise the solidarity between alpine countries and regions.
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Preserving traditional crops and livestock breeds
An agreement on plant genetic resources is to come into force in nine EU member states on 29 June, with only Germany featuring among alpine countries. The agreement is designed to secure the use of gene pools and free access to seed stocks and propagating materials for key agricultural crops.
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K2: Environmental impact of anniversary treks
To mark the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the K2 summit in the Himalayas the Italian Alpine Association is organising several treks to the mountain's base camps. Up to 60,000 people are expected to pass through some of the intermediate camps this year. The problems this causes include the insufficiently rapid degradation of biological waste at high altitude, the pollution of rivers, or damage to the vegetation through the gathering of firewood. A number of expeditions are also to make greater use of helicopters.
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Invitation to compete for the International Environment Award
Exemplary environmental protection projects from all over the world that are closely linked to tourism are eligible for the International Environment Award. The Award is presented each year by the German Association of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators.
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Project launch: Study of persistent organic pollutants in the Alps
Very little is known to date about the actual extent of the threat to the Alps caused by persistent highly toxic environmental pollutants, also known as POP chemicals. However initial studies suggest that they do represent a burden on the Alps, especially since POPs tend to deposit in cold areas such as mountain regions.
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Environmental management for the Everest region
The University of Torino/I and the Ev-K2-CNR Committee are currently conducting an international co-operation project called "Everest: A Remedy Against Damage Caused by Tourism" in the Everest region of Nepal. The aim is to develop an environmental management methodology to be able to lessen the negative impact of the 70,000 or so western tourists a year in the sensitive eco-systems of the Everest region.
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Projects to protect bearded vultures and golden eagles show positive results
The species preservation projects "Golden Eagles in the Eastern Alps" and "Resettlement of Bearded Vultures in the Alps" were presented on 26 March as part of the 16th National Park Weeks at the Hohe Tauern National Park in Salzburg/A.
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St Moritz: the AlpenAkademie and a tourism, energy and agriculture alliance
The Swiss region of Engadine/St Moritz is focusing on the appeal of educational tourism, with the founding of the AlpenAkademie by the Academia Engiadina. A range of offers including language and computer courses as well as tourism, tour guide and management studies are already in place, and others are in preparation.
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World Water Day: Calls for waterway conservation and a stop to deregulation
The motto for this year's International Water Day on March 22 was "Water and Natural Catastrophes". A number of organisations seized the day to put forward their demands for better water conservation.
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Early warning system for wolves
The New York Wildlife Conservation Society has developed an early warning system for wolf attacks to help prevent conflicts between man and beast, and as a result also protect the wolves.
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Preserving priority areas of the Alps
At the UN Conference on Biological Diversity in Kuala Lumpur the WWF presented a study identifying 23 priority areas of the Alps. The alpine study in five languages was drawn up by the WWF, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA), the Network of Alpine Protected Areas and the International Scientific Committee for Alpine Research (ISCAR) with the help of a hundred experts from 90 institutions and bodies.
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The Role of NGOs in Mountain Regions
The conference book of the 2002 Yearly Symposium of the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA) in Schaan/Liechtenstein has just been published. Marking the occasion of CIPRA's 50th anniversary the Symposium focused on the role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in mountain regions.
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Natura 2000 List for EU mountain regions approved
The list of Natura 2000 protected areas in mountain regions of the EU was approved by the European Commission at the end of 2003. It covers 959 nature sites in the Alps, the Pyrenees, the Apennines and the Fennoscandian mountains, which under the Council Directive on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna are considered to be of European importance.
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Questionnaire on best practice in protected area management
Experts and people working in protected areas are invited to take part in a questionnaire on best practice in protected area management.
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Second international conference on interdisciplinary research into mountain areas
Young scientists now have an opportunity to take part in the second international conference on interdisciplinary research into mountain areas. The conference is to be held at the National Park Centre Stilfserjoch in Stilfs/Trafoi (I) from 29 September to 2 October 2004 and is organised jointly by the Stilfserjoch National Park, the European Academy in Bolzano and Innsbruck University.
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First International Mountain Day on December 11
International Mountain Day is to be held worldwide for the first time on December 11. Its motto this year is "Mountains, Source of Freshwater". The UN decided to set up this special day following the resounding success of the International Year of Mountains in 2002.
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A brochure on "nature-compatible winter tours"
Over the past few years nature-based winter activities have increased throughout the Alps. More and more these activities are spilling into regions which have hitherto been spared the impact of leisure tourism. In its new brochure entitled "Nature-compatible Winter Tours" the Club Arc Alpin (CAA), the umbrella organisation of the eight alpine associations operating throughout the Alps, offers simple, easy-to-apply tips for winter sports enthusiasts on how to adopt a proactive approach and prevent a negative impact on nature and the landscape.
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Kailash: World heritage, not a destination for tourist convoys?
China is planning to build a road around the sacred Kailash mountain in Tibet in spring 2004. Surveyor's marks were already placed along the traditional pilgrimage route during the summer. Supporters of the Kailash initiative believe the Kailash mountain can only be genuinely protected if it is officially declared as a site on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
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Printed version of the monitoring study Agricultural Genetic Resources in the Alps now available
The Monitoring Institute for Rare Breeds and Seeds in Europe has just issued the printed version of its publication Agricultural Genetic Resources in the Alps.
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Extensive documentation of the Earth's ground cover and vegetation
An extensive database of the Earth's ground cover and vegetation in 2000 is now available on the Internet (Global Landcover 2000).
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New study on the development of alpine national parks
Volume 43 of the Münchner Studien zur Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeographie [Munich Studies on Social and Economic Geography] features the findings of a research project on the regional economic significance of alpine national parks.
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New publication: EU Agricultural Policy and the Environment in the Alps
The Alpine Environment Department of the European Academy in Bolzano has just published a new work entitled The EU Agricultural Policy and the Environment - Evaluation of the Alpine Region. It looks at the connections between agricultural policy, agriculture and the environment in the Alps, all of which were analysed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers. Key issues raised include: In what alpine regions is the decline of agriculture particularly severe? Where are the centres of tourism located, and which regions have the highest population density?
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EU nature protection database
Together with the European Topic Centre for Nature Protection and Biodiversity (ETC/NPB in Paris/F) and the European Environmental Information Observation Network (EIONET) the European Environmental Agency EEA has just published a new database with information on the protection of nature: EUNIS - European Nature Information System.
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Italy: 2005 World Ski Championships a risk to national park
Preparations for the World Ski Championships in the upper Valtellina in 2005 are in upheaval. The projects for the resort of Santa Caterina Valfurva, which is to stage the women's races, have come under attack. Environmental associations believe that as the Santa Caterina Valfurva skiing region is situated in the Stilfserjoch National Park the environmental impact of the projects should be examined particularly thoroughly.
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Alpine wind farms: blessing or curse?
Tiroler Wasserkraft AG (TIWAG) and Salzachwind GmbH are planning to build several wind farms in the Wipptal/Brenner region on the Austrian-Italian border. The Austrian Alpine Association (ÖAV) is calling for an immediate stop to the planning work for the wind farms as they are to be erected in a conservation and local recreation area.
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No GMO-free zone in Upper Austria says EU
The EU Commission has rejected Austria's request to approve national measures for a three-year ban on genetically modified organisms. The federal province of Upper Austria was to have been declared a GMO-free zone. The government of the province of Upper Austria felt that a general ban on genetically modified seed stock was justified inasmuch as the issue of the coexistence of agricultural methods of cultivation with and without genetically modified organisms had not yet been fully resolved.
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New four-language dictionary on flood protection
The Swiss Federal Office for Water and Geology and the Swiss Federal Chancellery have published a dictionary on flood protection in German, French, Italian and English.
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Cross-border youth solar project successfully completed
It took 15 adolescents from Austria, Slovenia and Italy only one week to erect a solar installation at the leisure centre of the Austrian Klimabündnis [Climate Alliance] municipality of Gurk. The activity was part of the youth solar project "Together for a Sunny Future", and was supervised by technicians from AEE, the Working Party on Renewable Energy.
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Colle del Nivolet and Val di Genova, Italy: No more car invasions
On Sundays in summer in the past few years the high plateau in the area of Colle del Nivolet was regularly transformed into a giant car park. However as of this summer the plateau can be reached only on foot, by bicycle or by shuttle bus.
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Declaration on protected areas in European mountain regions, Chambéry 2002
The Declaration on Protected Areas in European Mountain Regions emphasises the significance of biological and geological resources and water reserves in mountain regions. It stresses the necessity of targeted development and conservation measures as well as regional co-operation. Protected areas can serve as an experimental field for the development of conservation measures. Concrete steps proposed for the period 2003-2005 include the creation, in each European massif, of a mountain co-operation committee with representatives of governmental and non-governmental organisations. One of the tasks of the committees is to help disseminate information about models and methods to implement nature conservation and to transfer knowledge from research to improve the management of protected areas and sustainable development. Other important factors include encouraging partnerships, networks and joint projects as well as developing strategies for the active participation of populations.