Articles
Respite for the "king of the Alpine rivers"
It looks like no gravel is to be extracted from the Tagliamento for the time being. The company that was planning to extract more than a million cubic metres of ballast between Cimano/I and the Arzino tributary has withdrawn its project. Read More…
Eurovignette III: no HGV toll for the Alps
In the future haulage companies in the EU could have to pay for environmental damage. The EP Transport Committee has agreed to the proposal. But environmental organisations feel the proposal does not go far enough - especially in the Alps. Read More…
Common Agricultural Policy for the Alps
A new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is being negotiated in Brussels/BE. And as the CAP is also to take account of the particular conditions of agriculture in the Alps, in April the ministers of the Alpine states drew up a declaration at the International Mountain Region Conference in Oberammergau/D. Read More…
The spectacle of a new Mont Blanc cable car
Ground-breaking ceremony for Courmayeur/I's new cable car up to the Pointe Helbronner: Over a four-year construction period the glass and steel colossus, which is set to cost over EUR 100 million, is to replace the installation built in the 1940s and 1950s - and showcase the Mont Blanc even more magnificently. Read More…
Belgian support for the protection of the Alps
Established in Belgium at the start of the year, the ALPY Association "Alpen en Pyreneeën, Ontdekken en Ondersteunen" is committed to sustainable development in the Pyrenees and the Alps. Read More…
Use "The Wall" at your events to emphasize the importance of ecological connectivity
Are you organizing an event which aims at raising awareness on the problem of habitat fragmentation? Then borrow one of the six colourful installations the "Ecological Continuum Initiative" created for its action "The Wall". Read More…
New tool for custom-made connectivity solutions
Do you want to facilitate the migration of animals within and between their habitats? There are many different ways to do this. Whether you are a farmer, a mayor or leading a tourist company: the detailed search of the new online "measures catalogue" shows you possible activities to improve ecological connectivity that are adapted to your individual situation. Read More…
The sense and sensuality of contemporary buildings
CIPRA has many years of experience with energy-efficient construction and renovation. It also has many years of experience networking people and publicising information. Which is why it is ideally placed to pass on expertise on contemporary buildings – throughout the Alps and beyond. And that is what CIPRA’s 2010 Annual Report titled Building for the Future is all about. Read More…
Youth Parliament of the Alpine Convention convened in Herisau
The outcome of the event held from March 29 to April 1 is a 13-page resolution catalogue. It illustrates how important young people feel about being able to shape a viable future for the alpine region. "Transport and Transit" was the theme of this year's meeting. Read More…
Dinaric Alps Conference: laying the foundations for the protection of the Dinaric Alps
The countries of the Dinaric Alps met in Brdo near Kranj, Slovenia, on March 8 and 9 for the first ever Dinaric Alps Conference. Concurrently the ministers of the Alpine states convened at the 11th Alpine Conference. Read More…
Loss of biodiversity in the mountains particularly severe
A study carried out across Europe using new measurement methods has shown that climate change impacting particularly heavily on plants in mountain regions. The vastly different mountain ecosystems are being recorded on a very small and accurate scale using special computer models. Read More…
Five Econnect pilot regions officially rewarded at the Alpine Conference
On 8 March 2011 the Alpine Conference has officially recognised and rewarded eight Alpine regions - among which five Econnect pilot regions - for their exemplary work aiming at the creation of an alpine ecological network. Read More…
Alpine Convention: Sense and Sensuality
Climate change mitigation in construction and renovation is tantamount to providing for the future; it also makes economic sense. Better still, the Konstruktiv architecture award shows how sustainable construction can also become a sight for sore eyes. CIPRA co-initiated the award in order to publicise exemplary solutions. Imitations expressly permitted! Read More…
Climalp/“Alliance in the Alps”: Infected with good ideas
Ideas spread like viruses. They infect someone, who in turn infects someone else, and if they are good and strong, they spread like an epidemic. Energy-efficient construction is one such viral idea. On 14 September 2009 one could observe how it leapt from Vorarlberg to the French department of Savoie. Austria’s westernmost federal province is widely regarded as a centre for innovative timber construction. Concentrated here are a strikingly large number of architects, sawmills and carpenters who use wood as a traditional building material but in an ecologically advanced way – a large-scale workshop for creating a forest-sourced living environment. Read More…
Alliance of Central Asian Mountain Communities: Bridges across mountains
Sometimes the toughest challenges can be presented in the most tender way. On the plate in front of Antonio Zambon is a sheep’s head, braised for hours so that the meat is lovely and tender, eyes included. Expectantly, the Kyrgyz hosts watch their visitor from distant Italy. Quite a quandary. This rustic delicacy is not exactly to his taste; then again, the gesture is intended to honour him as the delegation’s oldest member. Read More…
cc.alps climate project: win-win with science
Swiss economic geographer Bruno Abegg has been working with CIPRA for three years. A scientist and a political organisation – how can that work? “It is a clash between two ways of thinking,” says the 45-year-old, which is precisely what he finds so exciting. As the scientific director of the cc.alps project he examines the way in which regions, communities and businesses in the Alps are responding to climate change. CIPRA campaigns to ensure that climate response measures are sustainable. “My research work has always been application-oriented,” says Abegg, “which is why it’s important to me that my findings flow into practical work for the environment.” Read More…
Alpine Town of the Year Association: “No town can afford to ignore climate change mitigation”
Hubert Buhl talks about towns that are pioneering climate change mitigation, environmental role models, and an award capable of changing entire communities. Read More…