Articles
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. Read More…
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.’ Read More…
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. Read More…
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. Read More…
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. Read More…
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. Read More…
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. Read More…
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. Read More…
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. Read More…
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. Read More…
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. Read More…
A cultural heritage to savour
How a cross-border project combines culinary delights with the Alpine heritage. Read More…
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. Read More…
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. Read More…
Young ideas for the Alps!
How can young people actively shape the future of the Alps? The GaYA Conference on 30 November 2018 in Chambéry/F focuses on youth participation and governance. Read More…
Ample space for castles in the air
Toni seeks out sources of friction between himself and his surroundings. That includes meeting up with people who have contrasting views to his own and his own living environment. ‘It’s the only way for something new to materialise,’ he explains. Read More…
The whale jumper
Hanging inside Gregor Novak’s flat is a whale. Made from an old pullover. That old woolly jumper had become seriously irritating as it had lost its shape and was unwearable. So Gregor scratched his head looking for an idea and then came up with two – in the drawers marked ‘Fabrics’ and ‘Animals’ respectively. He then handcrafted the old jumper into a whale, which now adorns his flat in Liechtenstein. Read More…
A place of encounter
Living here is a life choice. It’s not a choice Maria Schneider from Germany made herself; rather, she followed her husband Andreas Schneider to Italy some thirty-five years ago. In actual fact, it all began by mistake. Read More…
Nature providing services in the Alps
Whether mountain forests that protect us from avalanches and clean our air, or rivers and alpine pastures that provide us drinking water, energy or nourishment: in the AlpES Project ten partner organisations from six alpine countries have evaluated and documented ecosystem services for the past three years. They will present their results on 21st and 22nd November 2018 at a Final Event in Innsbruck/A. Press representatives are kindly invited to attend. Read More…
Inspiration with heart and mind
Sometimes inspiration comes to Franziska Kunze right in the middle of her day. As it did recently when she was at the market and spotted a pig’s heart in the butcher’s window. She knew there and then she’d buy the heart, even though she didn’t yet know how she was going to prepare it. Read More…
‘And… and… and’
Jean Horgues-Debat reserves the right to get it wrong. ‘There is no norm,’ says the 60-year-old engineer. ‘We’re allowed to give it a go, develop, and reject.’ Read More…
Ideas like apple trees
Whenever Cristina Dalla Torre gets excited about an idea, she feels she has to tell the whole world about it. She knows how important it is for ideas to get out there and enthuse others. And yet, occasionally, she can be lost for words: ‘This is a good idea, a really good idea. It’s like, you know, …’ Read More…
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. Read More…
Innovative ideas for tourism
Forest cabins that are self-sufficient in energy, mobile ski instructors, taking a break in an empty second home or glamping down on the farm: CIPRA Switzerland’s «Innovation Generator» is supporting the start-up of four tourism projects. Read More…
Youth taking action for the Alps
Calling for youth participation, engaging in Alpine policymaking, launching the first Youth Interrail Pass for the Alps: the CIPRA Youth Council is celebrating its fifth anniversary with an impressive record. Read More…
Point of view: Burning with love, not hate
The climate crisis and nationalism are the two greatest threats of our time, says Kaspar Schuler, executive director of CIPRA International since June, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of «Fire across the Alps». Read More…
Mountain Research and Development Vol 38, No 2 available online and open access
Papers explore self-governed small-scale irrigation in Tajikistan; how Kenyan commercial horticulture affects water resources; the impact of extensive grazing on forest soils in Mexico; how mining restoration measures influence vegetation in Peru; human impact on vascular plants in Ethiopia; the impact of climate change on treelines in Nepal; and how climate warming affects snow availability in a ski area in New Hampshire, USA. Read More…
Youth Participation in the Alps
This brochure sets a look on the multiple facets of the issue of youth participation in the seven countries of the Alpine region, analyzing the legal framework, the associations, the difficulties, the existing forms of participatory processes. Some useful links and contacts complete this journey. Read More…
Involving youth: But how?
Once politicians agree on the importance of young people for the future of the Alps and the need for their inclusion in decision-making processes, the question arises: How? How do we engage them in a productive and effective way? To answer these questions, GaYA's Youth Participation Toolbox was created by eight partners from five Alpine countries. Read More…
