Articles
Building – a bottomless pit?
Whether it is a question of major projects or infrastructure developments in protected areas – Alpine countries such as Austria and Switzerland cannot build quickly or easily enough.
Youth participation – but how?
More youth participation in the Alps is the aim – but the process is often slow to take shape in cities and towns. The “Toolbox for Youth Participation”, produced by the GaYA project, offers help in starting up.
Fire and flames across the Alps
On 11 August 2018 the “Fire across the Alps” will be lighting up peaks and valleys for the thirtieth time. The idea behind the anniversary fires is to draw attention to climate change.
Alpine Convention against the Alemagna motorway
In recent years there have been several attempts to reintroduce the Alemagna motorway from Venice to Munich onto the European agenda. The Permanent Committee of the Alpine Convention has now adopted a resolution against this new transalpine motorway.
Tourism: two sides of the same coin
Caught between the difficulties of growth and the quest for sustainability, tourism has a polarising effect. At the end of May 2018 over 200 participants at a conference in Bled, Slovenia discussed how Alpine tourism and the quality of life can complement one another. The event was staged by CIPRA together with the “Alliance in the Alps”.
Point of view: The tourism dilemma
Travel threatens the very values upon which tourism in the Alps depends, creating a real dilemma. Sustainable mobility in tourism is not simply a competitive advantage, but a “must”, states Barbara Wülser, deputy director of CIPRA International.
New strength for the Alps
In June 2018 Kaspar Schuler took over the leadership of CIPRA International, based in Schaan, Liechtenstein, with changes also made to the executive board.
Wolves: we need to debate values openly
No animal can match the wolf when it comes to media attention. Sensation often obscures our view of the essential. Various initiatives in the Alpine region are dedicated to improving the image of the wolf.
Thinking ahead together
Sustainable development needs commitment on the part of society. With its theme of «Social Innovation», CIPRA International’s 2017 Annual Report puts people at the centre of change.
How ideas grow and prosper
Marko wants to move to the countryside, but he lacks courage and prospects. Susanne wonders what to do with the many empty buildings. In the project alpMonitor, CIPRA shows how social innovation is preparing the way for the future.
The Brenner Pass: transit trouble
The year 2017 saw record numbers of trucks crossing the Brenner Pass. Now there is an opportunity to find a solution to the problem.
Rejuvenation of mountain farms
Fewer and fewer young people want to become farmers. If no one is willing to inherit and take on the running of a farm, it will close. There is a lack of both recognition and incentives – from EU policy through to searching for partners.
Between the desire for relaxation and the pressure for development
Few topics provoke such heated debates as Alpine tourism. At the end of May 2018 CIPRA International and the «Alliance in the Alps» network of municipalities will be providing an opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions in Bled, Slovenia.
Departure time for helicopters
At a time of declining winter tourism, heli-skiing brings in extra income. While sports enthusiasts might pay a few hundred euros, nature pays a high price.
Bogs – a way out of the climate swamp
One hectare of bog can store as much CO2 as a car produces in a year. The Alps suffer from some of the world’s heaviest traffic – yet fewer and fewer intact bogs remain.
How intact ecosystems improve our quality of life
Nature provides us with enormous benefits. The AlpES project draws on the concept of ecosystem services in order to record these in the Alpine regions and increase their appreciation.
Solutions for borderless commuter mobility
Traffic jams, convoy controls, fine dust pollution and the Brenner base tunnel: while the problems of transit and goods traffic accumulate on political agendas, commuter cars remain stuck in queues.
What now for the Alpine strategy?
Since January, the Austrian federal state of Tyrol has been chairing the European strategy for the Alps. This year will see a decision on how the strategy will be implemented in practice.
Point of view: Skiing, adieu!
Winter is here and in many ski resorts the snow cannons are running at full blast. Yet the number of skiers is in decline, making it hard to justify the immense investments made with the aim of expanding ski areas. It is time to realise that skiing is not a business model with a future, says Katharina Conradin, President of CIPRA International.
Awards for attractive, well-built constructions
At the end of October 2017 in Bern, Switzerland, Constructive Alps crowned the winning projects, demonstrating that Alpine architecture can not only be pleasing on the eye, but sustainable too.
The Alps as the focus of climate policy
Temperatures in the Alps are rising faster than the global average. The search for solutions is not limited to the World Climate Conference being held in Bonn, Germany.
Underestimated soil
We cannot breathe it, we cannot drink it, and yet it forms the very basis of our lives: soil feeds us, is home to us, protects us. Why has its importance hardly been recognised until today?
Point of view: Municipalities as drivers for sustainable development
Sustainable development cannot be prescribed by law: it needs local people to put it into effect. Municipalities have a key role here, says Jean Horgues-Debat, the newly elected President of CIPRA France.
Society’s demands mark the landscape
Conflicting needs and exaggerated expectations collide when it comes to spatial planning. Its role needs to be rethought, with a move away from overall planning and a shift towards guidance and awareness-raising. This was the tenor of the CIPRA Annual Conference held on 29 and 30 September 2017 in Innsbruck, Austria.
I-LivAlps: a conclusion for the future
September saw the fourth and final I-LivAlps workshop on social innovation held in the Valle Maira, Italy. The end of the project has produced a rich harvest.
Reaching a conclusion: whatsalp arrives in Nice
After five countries, 568 hours of walking and 66,000 metres of altitude, on 29 September 2017 the “whatsalp” group arrived in Nice after a three-month trek through the Alps. The group’s conclusions were critical in nature.
Where ideas make waves
CIPRA is a small organisation with a large network. It enables people to tackle challenges together and learn from one another – like Sandrine Percheval and Cassiano Luminati, who met for the first time at the AlpWeek in Grassau/D.
Going further, together
There is an African saying that goes: “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.” And the trail to sustainable development in the Alps and to preserving the alpine natural environment, its habitat and its economic area is a very long one indeed. It is one the Alliance in the Alps network of municipalities and CIPRA International have been trekking along together since 1997.
A pioneering region for a carbon-neutral economy and life
The economy of the Alps is to become greener. To make sure it takes on this colour, the comprehensive action programme “Greening the Economy in the Alpine Region” has been launched.