Political positions of CIPRA International
Declaration on protected areas in European mountain regions, Chambéry 2002
The Declaration on Protected Areas in European Mountain Regions emphasises the significance of biological and geological resources and water reserves in mountain regions. It stresses the necessity of targeted development and conservation measures as well as regional co-operation. Protected areas can serve as an experimental field for the development of conservation measures. Concrete steps proposed for the period 2003-2005 include the creation, in each European massif, of a mountain co-operation committee with representatives of governmental and non-governmental organisations. One of the tasks of the committees is to help disseminate information about models and methods to implement nature conservation and to transfer knowledge from research to improve the management of protected areas and sustainable development. Other important factors include encouraging partnerships, networks and joint projects as well as developing strategies for the active participation of populations.
Friends-of-Nature Wildhaus Declaration: tourism and sustainability in the 21st century
Tourism needs an intact natural environment, a vibrant cultural life, and a fair partnership between visitors and visited. As an economic sector, tourism is directly dependent on sustainability. The Declaration calls upon the tourism industry, the tourism regions, governments and individual tourists to curb the consumption of natural resources and reduce the burden of traffic caused by tourism traffic. It also calls on tourism to contribute towards eliminating poverty and to implement a sustainable destination and transport policy for the environment.
Berchtesgaden Declaration on regional co-operation in mountain regions 2002
At the end of June 2002 a conference on international co-operation between the mountain regions of the world was held in Berchtesgaden. The participants at the conference presented ten fundamental principles for regional co-operation. The principles underscore the key responsibility of governments and the need for regional co-operation to ensure the sustainable and proper management of mountain regions. Equal rights, decentralisation and the involvement of resident populations are essential in achieving sustainable development. Measures aimed at establishing cross-border partnerships and networks for the exchange of experience and the dissemination of knowledge are of crucial importance in bringing regional co-operation to life. The Declaration is aimed at governments, the international community, the private sector and NGOs.
News on Alpine Politics
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Alpine municipalities strengthen youth participation
If municipalities wish to introduce policies that will meet the expectations of coming generations, they have to be able to offer their young people something. The YSAM project has shown how youth participation can be strengthened in Alpine communities. A new label is being used in Switzerland to mark youth-friendly municipalities.
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Alpine regional strategy on the starting blocks
The European strategy for the Alps is ready. There nevertheless remain some challenges to its effective and sustainable implementation.
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No pardon for crimes against the environment
Damaging the environment in Italy can henceforth be punished with a jail term of up to fifteen years. Environmental legislation was also a concern of CIPRA co-founder Wolfgang Burhenne. A biography is now dedicated to him.
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Point of view: Making the Alpine Convention more interactive
The effectiveness of the Alpine Convention is often called into question. A new approach could help reposition it as an engine of co-operation and sustainable development in the Alpine regions, says Claire Simon, Executive Director of CIPRA International.
Standpunkte der CIPRA
Paul Kuncio, CIPRA Austria and Uwe Roth, CIPRA Germany
Point of view: Let’s create an “Alpine Plan” for all Alpine regions!
The Bavarian Alpine Plan celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022. Alpine spatial planning has proven here that it is predestined to find solutions to the pressing issues of the day. Similar planning instruments are lacking in many Alpine regions, although we need them more urgently than ever, claim Paul Kuncio, Executive Director of CIPRA Austria, and Uwe Roth, Executive Director of CIPRA Germany.
Vanda Bonardo, CIPRA Italy
Point of view: the excessive character of the Olympics
High construction costs, unused sports facilities, environmentally damaging large-scale projects: loud criticism continues to surround the staging of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina/I. We must ask whether such sporting events still have a place in the Alps, says Vanda Bonardo, President of CIPRA Italy.
Hans Weber, CIPRA Switzerland
Point of view: Let's finally press the reset button in tourism!
Mass tourism in the Alps has collapsed due to the ongoing Corona pandemic, and the opportunities for switching to environmentally and socially just tourism have increased. But they must also be exploited, says Hans Weber, Executive Director of CIPRA Switzerland.