Articles

A blessing and a curse
A blessing and a curse
Some places are deserted, others are overrun by tourists. The two Slovenian municipalities of Bled and Bohinj in the Triglav National Park were faced with the latter situation, as they struggled with masses of cars this summer.
Laughing, walking and learning from each other
Laughing, walking and learning from each other
CIPRA Slovenia. Increasingly, children are now being driven to school by their parents. CIPRA Slovenia is working to counter that trend by working with the Institute for Spatial Policies and the Association for Sustainable Development. And thanks to the Pedibus, schoolchildren get to exercise – and have more opportunities for contact with children of the same age.
Urban regions show the way forward
Urban regions show the way forward
The “Alpine Town of the Year” association is celebrating its 20th anniversary. A brief summary of the facts shows that throughout the past years Alpine cities have been pioneers of sustainable development in the Alps.
Foundations laid for Triglav National Park
Foundations laid for Triglav National Park
It has taken 16 years, but the management plan for Slovenia’s only national park is now ready. The participatory process has ensured that it is broad-based in nature.
“Glamping” in the Slovenian Alps: a critical view
“Glamping” in the Slovenian Alps: a critical view
A new “Eco Resort” in Slovenia promises luxury farmhouse holidays. Just a few kilometres away the genuine Alpine huts of the “Velika Planina” stand ready for guests.
European tourism prize for Bohinj
European tourism prize for Bohinj
For years slow mobility has been a priority in the Slovenian town of Bohinj. It has now been awarded the EDEN network’s innovation prize.
Reducing road traffic is a long distance race
Reducing road traffic is a long distance race
We face many problems relating to excess traffic, especially in cities. It causes air pollution and noise, and hampers land use.
Youthful ideas for “My Green Alps”
Youthful ideas for “My Green Alps”
What will it take for residents of the Alps to take responsibility for their own habitat? Participants of the Youth Parliament of the Alpine Convention provided some answers at Kamnik in Slovenia.
Bus and train: new moves in the Alps-Adriatic region
Bus and train: new moves in the Alps-Adriatic region
Public transport between Italy, Austria and Slovenia is moving forward. The consequences remain to be seen.
Ill-timed winter tourism developments throughout the Alps
Ill-timed winter tourism developments throughout the Alps
Despite rising temperatures and doubts about profitability, some Alpine regions are building new winter sports facilities. But who will pay the bill?
Sustainable building and renovation in practice
Sustainable building and renovation in practice
Energy-efficient building methods and renovation are by no means utopian. How will such projects look? What needs to be done? A workshop in Idrija, Slovenia in October 2014 will provide the answers.
Express tourism on the Eiger
Express tourism on the Eiger
The North Face of the Eiger in the Bernese Oberland is an inspiration for every mountaineer. A new railway project is now intended to make the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains even more accessible. Swiss environmental groups are, however, critical of the project.
National parks remove exotic fish species
National parks remove exotic fish species
Collecting what was released into the wild fifty years ago is the order of the day in the Gran Paradiso and Triglav National Parks, where the fish species introduced have had serious effects on the natural environment.
"We'll keep at it."
"We'll keep at it."
Virtually everyone was there. Idrija's festival hall was packed to the rafters, and the youth symphony orchestra summoned specially for the occasion was in full flow. There was plenty of drama, and the TV people were there, too. A murmur went through the 1,000-strong audience as they got to their feet and began clapping. Then a large burly man in a dark suit walked onto to the stage. Deep creases bracketed his laughing mouth like waterfalls, stretching up to his white temples. Bojan Sever, the major of the small Slovenian town in the alpine foothills, held aloft the certificate confirming their status as Alpine Town of the Year 2011. Cameras flashed and the applause redoubled. That was just over a year ago.
Soča valley soon under water?
Soča valley soon under water?
The proposal was made by Slovenia's Ministry of Economic Affairs just before the summer break. Five hydroelectric power plants are to be built on the Soča river and its tributaries, the Ucja and Idrijca.
Idrija is the Alpine Town of the Year 2011
Idrija is the Alpine Town of the Year 2011
The label for sustainable development was awarded to the Slovenian town of Idrija for its commitment to climate protection among other initiatives. The "Alpine Town Year" was ceremoniously inaugurated in February.
cc.alps showcases future mobility in the Alps
cc.alps showcases future mobility in the Alps
In September CIPRA focused on the issue of sustainable mobility and transport as part of cc.alps and co-organised two events on these topics.
An Alpine Museum for Slovenia
An Alpine Museum for Slovenia
In early August more than 1'000 mountaineers and mountain enthusiasts attended the opening of the Slovenian Alpine Museum (Slovenski planinski muzej - SPM) in Mojstrana/SI. The multitude of guests who attended underlines just how strong the demand is for such an institution in the Slovenian Alps. Slovenia owes its Alpine Museum first and foremost to Miro Eržen, who fought for the project for 25 years. The new Museum was officially inaugurated by the President of Slovenia Danilo Türk.
Where unemployment is now unheard of: Idrija/Sl, the "Alpine Town of the Year"
Where unemployment is now unheard of: Idrija/Sl, the "Alpine Town of the Year"
In April the Slovenian town of Idrija has been declared "Alpine Town of the Year". In the Year of the Alpine Town Idrija intends to make a big step towards becoming a model town for climate protection. In the context of sustainable development, the "Alpine Town of the Year" brand should help the town to become known outside Slovenia as well.
Calm and collected in a heated discussion: Ivan Hribar, director of Snovik thermal spa/SL
Calm and collected in a heated discussion: Ivan Hribar, director of Snovik thermal spa/SL
The Thermal Center Snovik was the winner of one of the seven prizes in CIPRA’s cc.alps competition for its activities . We met the director Ivan Hribar.
EU funds for fifty harmful projects
EU funds for fifty harmful projects
At the end of February Friends of the Earth Europe and CEE Bankwatch published a list of 50 environmentally damaging and economically dubious infrastructure projects in Central and Eastern Europe, which are either financed or planned to be financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and EU regional development funds.
International workshop series "Disseminating Knowledge - Networking People" Transport and visitor management in mountain areas
International workshop series "Disseminating Knowledge - Networking People" Transport and visitor management in mountain areas
On May 10 and 11 CIPRA International and CIPRA Slovenia organised a workshop on the topic of "Transport and Visitor Management in Mountain Areas". It became clear already with the first contributions that there are no straightforward answers when it comes to the relationship between transport development and regional development. There are areas of the Alps which do well economically despite being difficult to access.
DYNALP²: Visions and actions to ensure young people remain in their mountain communities
The DYNALP² workshop series is now underway in Slovenia. In Bovec the first workshop on 30 and 31 March dealt with solutions on how to prevent youth exodus. At first glance it might seem as if this issue affects only certain Alpine valleys, but the answers put forward can be of interest in many ways to politicians and regional players in the communities.
Conference publication with findings of the AlpWeek 2004
"The Alps of the Next Generation" was the theme of the AlpWeek 2004 held in Kranjska Gora/SI, a conference which looked at ways of finding solution approaches to current problems and staged a number of scientific discussions.
Slovenia: plans for a series of hydraulic power plants
Slovenia: plans for a series of hydraulic power plants
Slovenia has granted concessions for the planning of a series of power plants along the Mura, Drava and Sava rivers. The International Committee for the Protection of the Mura River Unsere Mur - Nasa Mura, founded in spring 2006, is opposing this threat to precious river landscapes of the Alps and pre-Alps.
Plug-in IT services for small and medium-sized businesses
The Alise project (Alps IT Service Network) is designed to provide those small and medium-sized businesses for which IT operations have become a burden with all the IT services they require directly from the Network.
Alpine Week: Four organisations that operate throughout the Alps join forces
This year the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA), the International Scientific Committee for Alpine Research (ISCAR), the municipality network Alliance in the Alps and the Network of Alpine Protected Areas (Alparc) are organising a joint conference in the form of an "Alpine Week". It is to be held in Kranjska Gora/SI from 22 to 25 September. The conference has elected as its theme: "The Alps of the Coming Generation - From Forecasts to Action".
Project launch: Study of persistent organic pollutants in the Alps
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.
Conference of Regions in Kranjska Gora/SI
On 24 October 2003 representatives of the seven pilot regions of the EU research project REGALP convened at the Conference of Regions for an exchange of experience at Kranjska Gora/SI.
Euregio Adria-Alps
The Adria-Alpen Euregio has moved one step closer to its founding following a series of meetings of the Chairmen of Carinthia/A, Veneto/I and Friuli/I and representatives from Slovenia (with Croatia also to be involved soon).