Articles
Laser scanner to protect against floods
As part of the EU-sponsored research project FloodScan the German Land of Bavaria is to be photographed and surveyed from the air using laser scanners.
Conference on climate change in mountain regions
An international workshop on climate change and sustainable development in mountain regions is being held in Innsbruck/A from 7 to 9 April. The aim is to identify future research work necessary in connection with sustainable development in mountain regions.
New publication on alpine landscapes
The December 2007 issue of the bilingual La revue de géographie alpine / Journal of Alpine Research focuses on the Forum Alpinum held in April 2007, which was dedicated to the topic of landscape development in mountain areas.
A new forum for mountain book enthusiasts
Anyone wanting to share their opinions or impressions of a mountain book they have read now have a new medium to do so.
Agricultural genetic resources of the Alps
The final report of the project "Continuous Monitoring of Agricultural Genetic Resources of the Alps: The Alpine Delphi" was published at the end of 2007. The project was conducted by the Monitoring Institute for Rare Breeds and Seeds in Europe in co-operation with the SAVE Foundation.
Swiss Mountain Award 2008
The Swiss Mountain Award is to be presented this year for the fourth time in a row by the Government Conference of the Mountain Cantons.
Report on the State of the Alps focuses on transport and mobility
At the end of November the Secretary General of the Alpine Convention, Marco Onida, presented the first part of the Report on the State of the Alps. The Report is now available not just in English but also in German, French, Italian and Slovenian.
Onto the slopes by plane
More and more low-cost airlines are flying to the Alps in winter. More than twenty of these "ski destinations" are being offered to winter air travellers. With the offer of connecting flights, air passengers are now able to travel directly to the ski slopes from Salzburg/A, Innsbruck/A, Klagenfurt/A, Zurich/CH, Friedrichshafen/D, Munich/D and, most recently, from Grenoble/F and Memmingen/D.
Economic and ecological effects of artificial snow
A new study by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) highlights the effects of technical snow-making systems on the regional economy, the use of resources and the environment.
A network of sensors for climate forecasts
Environmental scientists and IT and communication engineers have got together as part of the Swiss Experiment Project to try and assess the impact of climate change in the Alps at the earliest possible stage.
Snow levels depend on more than just altitude
New results by the Austrian research project STRATEGE show that snow levels do not necessarily depend on altitude. In precipitation scenarios relating to climate change, researchers found that other factors such as the micro climate, relief and exposure of the locations concerned also had to be considered.
![Alpweek 2008 - Innovating [in] the Alps](https://76f4797.online-server.cloud/Plone/en/news/2840/@@images/image-600-c5af1f49457a2db294746762c4601bb5.jpeg "Alpweek 2008 - Innovating [in] the Alps")
Alpweek 2008 - Innovating [in] the Alps
The second edition of the Alpweek is being held in the Pays des Ecrins/F from 11 to 14 June 2008, with players from throughout the Alpine region discussing issues of sustainable development. After the positive experiences of the 2004 Alpweek in Kranjska Gora/SI the major Alpine networks ISCAR, CIPRA, Alliance in the Alps, ALPARC and Club Arc Alpin decided to repeat the event in 2008.
EU warming to the idea of an Alpine transit exchange
For some time now Switzerland's Bundesrat [Federal Council] has been wanting to push ahead with relocating freight-related transit traffic from the road to the rail by creating an Alpine transit exchange. Transit quotas for freight on the road could then be auctioned from the exchange.
Green Paper on urban mobility
The European Commission's new Green Paper entitled "Towards a new culture for urban mobility" looks at the mobility and ecology of European towns and cities. In Europe a good 60% of the population lives in urban areas. Just under 85% of the EU's gross domestic product is generated in those areas.
New issue of the Journal of Alpine Research
The latest publication in the series Journal of Alpine Research features four specialist articles addressing different issues. However they all focus on the landscape and the way in which it is changing.
Strengthening mountain forests
The Interreg IIIC project Network Mountain Forest (NMF), which was launched in 2003, has come to a close with the signing in Lindau/D on 29 October 2007 of a Memorandum aimed at strengthening mountain forests in Europe.
European Commission adopts measures to promote freight traffic
On 18 October the European Commission adopted a series of measures aimed at boosting the efficiency, integration and sustainability of freight transport within the Union.
Werfenweg has Austria's longest solar-powered street
The Municipality of Werfenweng in Salzburg is saving €38,000 by using solar lighting. 17 recently installed solar streetlights have proved to be the cheapest way of lighting a path some 700 m long on the town's outskirts. This makes it currently Austria's longest solar-powered street.
Interreg III B projects MONITRAF and ALPNAP
Transport across the Alps is at the centre of the Final Conference of the Interreg III B projects MONITRAF and ALPNAP, which have been running since 2005. The Conference is entitled "Transport across the Alps. Approaches and common measures for sustainable transport development in the Alpine region".
Call for a more strategic approach to mountain area development
At a meeting of the Adelboden Group held in Rome on 3 October over 60 representatives from governments, civil society and international organisations from mountain countries across the globe called for a more coherent approach to sustainable development in mountain areas.
New UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in mountain areas
A total of 23 selected regions and protected areas from 18 countries are to join the global network of biosphere reserves. The decision was taken in Paris at the conference of the International Co-ordinating Council of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB).
UN Conference on Tourism and Climate Change
A three-day United Nations conference was held in Davos/CH in early October on the subject of tourism and climate change. In a joint statement the participants urged action by the tourism sector to face climate change and reduce emissions.
Negative CO2 balance in the Alpine region
The Alps have the potential to become a model region for climate protection. And yet today, on a global comparison, every inhabitant of the Alps is contributing disproportionately to the greenhouse gas emissions affecting the climate.
Luc Hoffmann honoured for his life's work as a conservationist
The 2007 Environmental Award of the European Nature Heritage Fund goes to Switzerland's Luc Hoffmann in recognition of his life's work as a prominent nature conservationist and nature heritage patron.
Status report on the lynx in the Alps
The Alpine countries have updated their information on the status and distribution of lynx populations on their respective territories for the period 2000 to 2004. The findings are summarised in a new report as part of SCALP (Status and Conservation of the Alpine Lynx Population).
Proceedings of the "Ecological Network" platform and ForumAlpinum 07
Germany's Federal Agency for Nature Conservation is presenting a brochure on the inaugural meeting of the Ecological Network Platform under the Alpine Convention. The meeting was held in Munich/D on 29 March 2007 under the heading "Establishing an Alpine Ecological Network".
Eco-building zone promotes demographic growth
The tiny Grisons community of Flerden/CH has succeeded in attracting new residents to its mountain village - and done so ecologically. In 2003 the community created an 8,500 m² energy-saving housing area for new builds erected according to ecological principles.
Europe's highest toilets
This summer two public toilets were installed at an altitude of 4 260 m on the French side of the Mont Blanc. Every year some 30,000 climbers head up the Alps's highest mountain.
BergBuchBrig
Montagnalibri, the international mountain-book fair, is to be held for the second time in Brig in the Valais/CH from 25 to 28 October 2007. BergBuchBrig presents over 1,000 new books from 30 countries in a variety of languages. All the specialist books, literary works, picture books, guides, etc., relate to the world of the mountains.
Tackling climate change with bare facts
Switzerland's Aletsch Glacier was recently the scene of an unusual protest action. Around 600 people gathered on the Alps's largest glacier to draw attention to the impact of climate change - by stripping off completely. The participants, who had travelled from all over Europe, were positioned on the Glacier in a variety of ways by photographers and five camera crews, and photographed from all sorts of angles.