News
EU Marco Polo Programme for the displacement of traffic now in force
The EU's Marco Polo Programme came into force on August 3. The Programme's objective is to shift increased international freight traffic from the road to other modes of transport.
New four-language dictionary on flood protection
The Swiss Federal Office for Water and Geology and the Swiss Federal Chancellery have published a dictionary on flood protection in German, French, Italian and English.
New CIPRA-International web site
The web site of the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps CIPRA-International recently underwent a complete makeover. Information on CIPRA and its member organisations is now posted in a trendier layout at www.cipra.org , with items such as News, Events (e.g. Summer Academy or Annual Conference), Activities, Publications and Positions.
Prix Wilderness: Award for nature- and environment-minded mountain tours
For the fourth time keepwild!, the specialist environmental department for trend sports of Mountain Wilderness Switzerland, together with the Save the Mountains Foundation, is awarding the Prix Wilderness for Trend Sports.
Cross-border youth solar project successfully completed
It took 15 adolescents from Austria, Slovenia and Italy only one week to erect a solar installation at the leisure centre of the Austrian Klimabündnis [Climate Alliance] municipality of Gurk. The activity was part of the youth solar project "Together for a Sunny Future", and was supervised by technicians from AEE, the Working Party on Renewable Energy.
Germany: Regional and ecological produce for Allgäu clinics
In future clinics in the Allgäu region are to be provided with nutritionally balanced meals made from regional and ecological produce. Bavaria's Agricultural Minister Josef Miller referred to the brand programme Aus gutem Grund [On Good Grounds] as a milestone in regional marketing. He added that the initiative could well pave the way for the use of regional produce in community catering.
October 4: Day of protest action against transit traffic in the mountain regions of Europe
On October 4 the European Transport Initiative ITE is once again co-ordinating a European-wide day of protest action against transit traffic in mountain regions.
CIPRA calls for Alpine Convention Water Protocol
For years the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps CIPRA has been demanding that the Alpine states draw up a Water Protocol to the Alpine Convention. In Innsbruck/A CIPRA itself tabled a proposal for such a Protocol to coincide with the UN's International Year of Freshwater 2003.
"Gene Save": Cross-border preservation of gene resources
The new Interreg Project "Gene Save" is to preserve and maintain old local grain, vegetable and apple varieties in southern and northern Tyrol. Seed and planting stock is to be collected, preserved in a gene bank and then re-introduced into cultivation on a wider scale.
Colle del Nivolet and Val di Genova, Italy: No more car invasions
On Sundays in summer in the past few years the high plateau in the area of Colle del Nivolet was regularly transformed into a giant car park. However as of this summer the plateau can be reached only on foot, by bicycle or by shuttle bus.
CIPRA Annual Specialist Conference 2003: "All systems Go! for the Alpine Convention?! Traffic as the focus of implementation"
This year's CIPRA annual specialist conference is to address the implementation of the Alpine Convention with a special focus on the issue of (transit) traffic.
Alliance of Central Asian Mountain Communities founded
The Alliance of Central Asian Mountain Communities, which is modelled on the Alliance in the Alps community network, was founded in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, on June 22. CIPRA played a key role in the founding of the Alliance.
Cross-border co-operation for the alpine Rhine and Rhine
The comprehensive survey into the current situation conducted as part of the "Alpine Rhine Development Concept" is now completed. On July 1 experts presented the results before representatives of local communities, environmentalists, anglers, energy suppliers and other parties with a vested interest. For the first time the groups concerned are able to take part in a planning project within an international framework.
alpMedia wins Alp Web Award 2002
CIPRA has won the "Alp Web Award 2002" in recognition of its www.alpmedia.net web site. The award acknowledges alpMedia as a web site that focuses on mountain issues and complies with the objectives of the UN's Year of the Mountains 2002. The Award was presented by the Cervignano del Friuli Giusto Gervasutti Department of the Italian Alpine Association.