Articles
Re-ordering back issues of "Mountain Research and Development"
All the back issues from 2000 to 2006 of "Mountain Research and Development" (MRD), the leading journal devoted to the world's mountains, can now be re-ordered simply and inexpensively.
Successful environmental campaign aimed at protecting the Alps
On August 11 some 40 "high fires" burned throughout the alpine region to draw attention to a sustainable future for the Alps. Fires were lit in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy and Kyrgyzstan as a symbol of a better quality of life in the alpine region.
Maps of the Alps available for download from the EURAC Project homepage
The homepage of the project entitled AGRALP - Development of Mountain Areas ( www.eurac.edu/agralp ) has been restructured and greatly expanded to offer some 200 theme-based maps for downloading.
First special edition of the Geo.Alp magazine
The first special edition of the Geo.Alp magazine is dedicated to the papers contributed to the 8th International Symposium on the Cultural Heritage in the Mining and Geo-Sciences, which was held in Schwaz in northern Tyrol/A in 2005.
Mountain Wilderness: 20 years of mountain protection work worldwide
The mountain protection organisation Mountain Wilderness celebrated its 20th anniversary on 31 July and 1 August with an ascent of Mont Dolent in the Mont Blanc mountain range.
Alpine Convention: First Report on the State of the Alps focuses on transport and mobility
The Alpine Convention has just published the first issue in its new series of publications entitled "Reports on the State of the Alps".
Acqua alta alpina - Conference and trade fair on climate change
The organisers of acqua alta alpine invite politicians, experts and interested laymen and women to a conference in Salzburg/A from 24 to 30 October which focuses on climate change and its impact on the Alpine region.
International workshop series "Disseminating Knowledge - Networking People" New technologies give a boost to local culture and tradition
CIPRA successfully pursued its international workshop series on "Disseminating Knowledge - Networking People" with numerous events in May and June.
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.
International workshop series "Disseminating Knowledge - Networking People" Rural-urban co-operation: A challenge for the Alpine region
The eighth workshop in the series on "Disseminating Knowledge - Networking People" was held in Autrans on June 4 and 5 and focused on the subject of regional concepts and rural-urban co-operation. The organisers, CIPRA France and the further education organisation Association de Formation des Ruraux aux Activités du Tourisme, provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on the shift in relations between rural and urban areas.
What's new on www.cipra.org/zukunft
Brig, Klagenfurt and Chiavenna: Workshop documentation is now online The workshop on "The Forestry Sector in Regional Policy - Options for Sustainable Development in the Alpine Region" organised by the Further Education in Forestry and Landscape jointly with CIPRA was held in Brig/CH on March 28 and 29.
Global know-how transfer: Workshop in the Ukraine and international further education programme
One of the aims of Future in the Alps is to make the findings gained from the project available to mountain regions beyond the Alps, too. To this end, CIPRA, together with the international organisation Green Dossier, held a workshop in the Ukraine from 31 May to 2 June on solving conflicts in protected areas.
CIPRA's 3rd Alpine Report presents the shapers of the future
In its 3rd Alpine Report, to be published in autumn 2007, CIPRA is making the results of Future in the Alps available to a broad public.
DYNALP² supports the implementation of projects
The closing date for submitting projects seeking co-funding as part of DYNALP² expired on June 29. DYNALP² is a project launched by the Alliance in the Alps network of municipalities in 2006 and it is being financed by the MAVA Foundation for Nature Conservation.
International Workshop: Services for people living in rural mountain areas
The next workshop of the international series "Disseminating knowledge - connecting people" of Future in the Alps is dedicated to the topic of innovation, community use and participation relating to services for people living rural mountain areas.
Gymnaestrada 07: Exemplary sustainability
"SUSPORT" (SUstainibility & SPORT) is the name given to the environmental and sustainability concept for organisers of sporting events which has been drawn up by the organisers of the World Gymnaestrada 2007 together with the Swiss Federal Gymnastics Festival 2007.
NENA: getting together, exchanging views and setting up an enterprise network
Through its NENA Project, CIPRA International is pursuing the goal of setting up a network of innovative and sustainable enterprises in the Alpine region. To strengthen this Alpine-wide network and plan future action programmes together, a large-scale event is to be held in Bregenz/A from 26 to 28 September.
New publications: Risk management and 100 years of Géographie Alpine
The five chapters of the current edition of the Revue de Géographie Alpine look at risk management systems of urban alpine areas as well as early warning systems and crisis management strategies at regional policy level.
Nature abhors a border
Nature in the Alps should be networked more effectively; to this end, the hindrances that stand in the way of animal migration and the spread of vegetation and plants should be made more permeable. Four alpine-wide network organisations are aiming to create an "ecological continuum" in the Alps. The preliminary project has just been given the go-ahead.
Dust cover speeds up snowmelt
A new study reveals that dust blown hundreds of kilometres by the wind from erosion zones or dry regions is capable of speeding up the snowmelt in the mountains of Colorado/USA by around one month. Researchers at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder were surprised not by the fact that the dust-covered snow cover was found to melt more quickly but by the extent to which this occurred in measurements and simulations.
An outgoing airport for the Allgäu
In the view of the project's initiators the opening of the Memmingerberg regional airport in the Allgäu/D on 28 June represents the "opportunity of the century". Bavaria subsidised the project to the tune of €7.3 m, with total investments amounting to €20 m.
International Conference: The Alps beyond Kyoto
CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, is organising an international conference on energy efficiency and renewable energies in the Alpine region from 20 to 22 September.
The Alps' longest railway tunnel
Last weekend saw the official inauguration ceremony of the Lötschberg base tunnel in Switzerland after a construction period of eight years. At 34.6 km it is the third longest railway tunnel in the world. The new link between the Bernese Oberland and the Valais drastically reduces the journey time.
Workshop series "Getting Knowledge Across - Networking People": Documentation online
CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, has made available for download the documentation on four workshops of its Future in the Alps Project.
Cervino international mountain film festival
The 10th edition of the Breuil-Cervinia/Valtournenche international mountain film festival is to be held in Italy's Aosta Valley from 25 to 29 July. The film festival, which is now being held again under its original name Cervino Cinemountain, is Europe's highest, given that it takes place at 2000 m above sea level. The 40 films featured at the festival cover the entire spectrum of topics from the environment to sports, culture and history.
Pyrenean ski resort to be revived
The Municipality of Vielha in the Spanish Pyrenees has given the go-ahead for the construction of more than 500 apartments and 1,700 parking spaces in the ski resort of La Tuca. The resort was forced to shut down in 1989 as the lack of snow meant it was no longer viable. But now the ski resort is to be brought back to life with the new project.
New publication on freight traffic transiting through the Alpine region
(6.6.2007) A new book entitled "SWOMM - Scientific Workshop on Mountain Mobility and Transport" published as part of the Interreg IIIB project AlpFRail summarises the results of the international workshops SWOMM 2005 and SWOMM 2006.
The Alps ideal for generating solar power
According to a study by the EU research laboratory for the environment in Ispra/I the profitability ratings for solar power installations in Alpine regions are similar to those of solar installations in southernmost Spain. Solar irradiance in the hills and mountains of Austria for example reaches an intensity of up to 2,000 kilowatt-hours per square metre.
Is sustainability marketable in the winter-sports industry?
The aim of the SkiSustain research project is to help create efficient and sustainable business models for ski resorts in the face of climate change and socio-economic changes. Its researchers are looking at ways of developing sustainability as a marketable product and as unique selling propositions for skiing destinations. One product under consideration is a customer-oriented benchmarking which would serve as a guide to snow-sports enthusiasts when selecting the ski resorts of their choice.
Car-free holidays - information and offers
(24.5.2007) The homepage of the "Alpine Pearls", i.e. 21 tourist resorts in the Alps fully committed to the idea of soft mobility, is offering a new service.