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Time and skills as capital

Why you can pay not only with cash but also with talents in Vorarlberg, Austria.

The politics of vegetables

Cooking together: not just sociable, but also political.

Municipal budget by postcard

How the Italian town of Mals decides how the municipality will spend its money.

From archives to houses of the present

Alpine museums are about more than just wooden skis, farmhouse trunks and old photos. They preserve, exhort or inspire us – and thus have a vital role in society.

Interactive map of the Alps

Alpine kaleidoscope for selected topics

Mountain Research and Development Vol 38, No 4: Food Security and Sustainable Development in Mountains

Four papers present opportunities and challenges for sustainable food systems worldwide and in Nepal, Pakistan, and Ladakh. Others explore the contribution of caterpillar fungus to livelihoods in India, the economics of walnut forests in Kyrgyzstan, dwarf pine cover in Slovakia, bacteriological characteristics of drinking water in Nepal, the impact of changing glacier conditions on mountaineering in New Zealand and of ski tourism on wildlife in Poland, and land use dynamics in the Argentinian puna.

No landscape to be seen

Increasing demands for use are putting the Alpine landscape under ever more pressure. The “Urban Sprawl Initiative” is an attempt by environmentalists in Switzerland to reverse the trend. The aim is to curb the marketisation of the landscape.

Point of view: Don’t mess with our future!

The climate crisis is a reality – and it is by no means the only environmental problem looming. Luisa Deubzer of the CIPRA Youth Advisory Council calls for a rethinking on the part of society. In late November 2018 the 24-year-old gave a fiery speech before politicians and young people at the Eusalp Forum in Innsbruck, Austria.

What the landscape tells us

How do we perceive changes in the landscape? Why do we feel more closely connected to some places than others? These questions are raised by CIPRA with «Re-Imagine Alps», its new interactive map of the region.

Sustainable Tourism: Who will do the job?

There is no shortage of ideas when it comes to sustainable tourism in the Alps. But who will take charge of networking these ideas? In early November CIPRA International invited experts from all the Alpine countries to attend a workshop in Innsbruck, Austria in order to jointly develop a job profile.

Youth participation is a must-have – not a nice-to-have

More youth participation in the Alps! This was the plea made by the GaYA Conference in Chambéry, France, to politicians and policymakers in the Alpine countries. The strength of feeling involved was illustrated by the participation of numerous young people and representatives from the spheres of politics and society.

Three workshops for sustainable mobility

Ideas for cross-border co-operation, the future of the Veynes railway and a toolbox for sustainable commuting: three projects from the Alps that serve as an inspiration for more sustainable mobility.

Good service for rural areas

A success story: December 2018 saw the opening of the 100th «Maison de services au public» in the French Alps.

Winter Olympics: return to the Alps in 2026?

In early January 2019 the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo submitted a joint bid, facing off with Stockholm in Sweden in the race to host the Winter Olympics. The IOC will make its decision in June.

Ecosystems out of balance

Storms, drought, floods, mudslides and avalanches: many Alpine regions were affected by extreme natural events in 2018. The first measures are already in place to ensure better management.

Researching the Alps

They are probably among the most thoroughly researched mountain areas on Earth, yet the spirit of research in the Alps remains undiminished: November 2018 saw the opening of a new Centre for Mountain Research in the Swiss city of Sion.

YOUTH.SHAPING.EUSALP

[Project completed] To have a say in Alpine policy, to bring in own topics, to exchange ideas with EU politicians: The "Youth.shaping.EUSALP" project makes young people’s and young adults’ voices heard and develops a concrete strategy for the commitment of the youth within the EUSALP. © CIPRA International

Venturing into the unknown

In her report Christine Eben would write: ‘Once again we formed mixed groups, in terms of both age and nationality, just as we had in our previous workshops that had proved so successful. As it’s all about future developments, exchanging ideas with young people is all the more important.’

Sustainable lifestyles in the Alps

[Project completed] What we eat, what we throw away, how we live and move around - in short, our lifestyle - affects our environment, our fellow human beings and the climate. The project promoted sustainable lifestyles and identifies good examples in the Alps.

Tour des villes

[Project completed] Contribution of Alpine towns to the Alpine Week and subsequent consolidation: sustainable settlement development with a focus on village/city centre revitalisation and use of open spaces

Youth participation is a must, not a nice extra

More youth participation in the Alps! This appeal went to the politicians of the Alpine countries at the conference on the GaYA project in Chambéry/F. The extent to which the topic moves was shown by the participation of numerous young people and representatives from politics and society throughout the Alps.

Audible Alps - CIPRA Podcast

Recognising the importance of Alpine ecosystems

While one group has highlighted ecosystem performances, another has tested participatory approaches to river management: a total of 19 partners from six Alpine countries have for three years now been co-operating on two projects. They presented their findings on 21 and 22 November 2018 in Innsbruck, Austria.

Re-Imagine Alps

[Project completed] Relations between humans, and between humans and nature, are the focus of the “Re-Imagine Alps” project. People take responsibility for their environment when they feel concerned and involved. Landscape here serves as a frame of reference and focal point for the perception and communication of sustainability issues: various relationships, memories and visions are illuminated in respect of, by, and for landscape in the overall Alpine context. Responsibilities and obligations grow out of ideas and relationships.

The Alps as a climate laboratory

Without climate protection measures the average temperature in the Alps will increase by up to 4.5 degrees by 2050. New initiatives give rise to hope, with the latest United Nations climate report drawing further attention to the topic.

A cultural heritage to savour

How a cross-border project combines culinary delights with the Alpine heritage.

What nature provides

The international project AlpES is strengthening the importance of ecosystems and their services for the population of the Alps. The project team will be presenting its results on 21-22 November 2018 in Innsbruck, Austria.

Morbegno recognised for its commitment

Morbegno, in the Italian region of Lombardy, has been chosen as the 2019 «Alpine Town of the Year». It thus joins an international network that advocates future-proof urban development in the Alps.

Oh!

Mountain Research and Development Vol 38, No 3 available online and open access

Topics are: the foresight process as a means of effective conservation in a national reserve in Peru, local perception of a dam project in Darjeeling, regeneration patterns of key tree species in Garhwal, water-holding of forest litter in China, the role of Acacia decurrens in Ethiopia, a high-resolution map of the world’s mountains and open access tool to compare mountain extents, and immigration of refugees to the European Alps as social innovation.