News
CIPRA Yearly Symposium 2006: tourism and regional planning in weather stress
(01.12.2005) The 2006 Yearly Symposium of the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA) is to be held in Bad Hindelang/D from 18 to 20 May. The Symposium is to focus on the growing threat to alpine regions posed by natural hazards and the impact of the climate change on alpine tourism.
Alpine landscape too bright at night
Swiss researchers have conducted a study to examine the extent to which man-made lighting has penetrated mountain regions since the 1970s. The comparison of satellite imagery shows that areas which previously were lit only in isolated spots - if at all - are now increasingly exposed to night time lighting.
New issue of the Journal of Alpine Research series
The latest issue of the Revue de Géographie Alpine series comprises five specialist articles on a variety of topics. One article examines the causes of flooding and the measures that are necessary to prevent it based on the example of the Isère/F region while another article focuses on sustainable water management in general.
International conference on cross-alpine traffic
The international "Transport Across the Alps" conference is to be held in Lucerne/CH from 1 to 3 December. Key issues to be addressed at the conference include the impact of road traffic along the main alpine thoroughfares, the influence of statutory and political provisions on transit traffic and the interactions between transport, regional development, tourism, the environment and the economy.
Alpine summit flora undergoing rapid change
As part of their study on the "Influence of Climate Change on Succession Processes and Population Dynamics of Vegetation in Alpine Environments" research teams at the universities of Hanover/D and Zurich/CH have concluded that the rate of change in the floristic composition of vegetation in the Swiss Alps is increasing all the time. According to the experts this trend is consistent with global climate change.
Alpine Convention's implementation monitoring inadequate
This year for the first time (and every four years thereafter) the Contracting Parties to the Alpine Convention are to give an account as to whether and to what extent they have met their obligations under the terms of the Convention and its Implementing Protocols.
International Mountain Day 2005
The theme chosen for this year's International Mountain Day is "Sustainable Tourism for Poverty Alleviation in Mountain Areas". As in the two previous years it is being held on 11 December.
Socio-economic dimension of the Alpine Convention
Austria's Chair of the Alpine Convention sees it as a priority task to focus more on specialist issues during the meetings of the Standing Committee in order once again to develop a greater sensibility for vital issues in the alpine region.
"Pearls of the Alps" - Tourism communities promote gentle mobility
25 communities in Italy, Austria, Germany, France and Switzerland have come together to form the "Pearls of the Alps" network. Their objective is to combine tourist sights with the benefits of gentle mobility.
Satellite technology in South Tyrol
By October of next year, South Tyrol/I wants to be able to receive data from the various earth observation satellites and evaluate it at a purpose-built facility at the European Academy in Bolzano.
EU research project on water resources: monitoring and forecasting
The main aim of the recently launched AWARE project (Available Water Resources in Mountain Environments) is to provide tools for monitoring and forecasting water availability and distribution in those drainage basins where snowmelt is a major component of the annual water balance in Alpine catchments.
Swiss Bird Index tracks Alpine birds
The Sempach Ornithological Station and the Swiss Association for the Protection of Birds [Schweizer Vogelschutz] have developed a Swiss Bird Index (SBI) modelled on stock exchange indices.
€160,000 in prize money for sustainable projects in the Alpine region
CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, has awarded prizes worth a total of €160,000 to eight outstanding projects aimed at sustainable development in the Alpine region. The awards for the Future in the Alps Competition were presented today at CIPRA's annual conference in Brig/CH.
MIREN: a new network looks at invasive plants in mountain regions
MIREN (Mountain Invasion Research Network) is a new global research network that was founded this summer as part of a workshop in Vienna/A. It focuses on the problem of invasive plants in mountain regions, particularly from the aspect of global change.
Transalpine exchange on research into protected areas
The third research symposium of the Hohe Tauern National Park/A, which was held for the first time as a transalpine conference on research into protected areas, ended on 17 September. At the conference 72 scientists from eight countries discussed a range of cross-border issues.
Holidaying without barriers? A new Interreg project focuses on the disabled
Una montagna per tutti (a mountain for everyone) is the name of an Interreg project between Italy and France that was launched only recently and focuses on people with disabilities.
Mountains and the modern age: innovative construction at high altitudes
The Austrian Tourist Club [Österreichischer Touristenklub] recently opened the first high-alpine passive building, namely the Schiestlhaus am Hochschwab/A at 2,153 m.
Alpine experience for Afghanistan
Mountain Wilderness International regularly trains young mountain guides in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The first Alpinism course focusing on a caring approach to nature in the upper Panshir valley was completed only recently. 22 young Afghan men and women took part in the training course.
Decrease in water runoff from the Swiss Alps
A new study analyses the impact of a potential climate change on hydrological discharge regimes from the Swiss Alpine region for the period between 2020 and 2050. Eleven catchment areas with different glaciation rates and altitude ranges were examined.
Alpine Protected Areas - from co-operation to ecological network
The Alpine Network of Protected Areas is celebrating its 10th anniversary as part of the international conference on "Alpine Protected Areas: Between History, Development and Challenges".
Via Alpina via the internet
Via Alpina, the project for a network of long-distance hiking trails, now features a new internet website at www.via-alpina.org . The Trails heading provides an opportunity to travel all 341 stages of the Via Alpina virtually, using interactive maps of different scales.
MARS and FUNalpin examine sustainability in the Alpine region
As part of the MARS Interreg IIIB project (Monitoring the Alpine Region's Sustainability) 22 partners from six countries (A, CH, D, FL, I, SI) worked on drawing up a set of indicators for measuring and evaluating sustainable development in the Alpine region.
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.
CIPRA's Future in the Alps competition - 570 projects online
The Future in the Alps competition being held across the Alps has been very well received. By the July 20 submission deadline individuals and organisations from all eight Alpine countries had submitted more than 570 projects.
Climate protection measures for a hot Bavaria
Representatives of Bavaria's Ministries of the Environment, Economic Affairs, Agriculture and the Interior, and of the Bund Naturschutz have agreed on around a dozen climate protection measures in a further step in implementing the Climate Protection Alliance they concluded in 2004.
Space observation to assist risk management in the Alps
Satellites are to be used in a bid to improve the risk management of landslides, avalanches, mudslides and floods in Alpine regions. This is the objective of the latest ASSIST (Alpine Safety, Security and Informational Services and Technologies) research project, which is currently being launched as part of the European "Global Monitoring for Environment and Security" (GMES) initiative.
Exchange of know-how on hydrogeological disruptions
The CATCHRISK project (mitigation of hydro-geological risk in alpine catchments) is in its end phase.
New publication: Mountaineering villages to enjoy
The latest brochure of the Austrian Alpine Association (ÖAV) features hiking and mountaineering regions in Austria which actively implement the Alpine Convention's Tourism Protocol.
Berchtesgaden National Park in a wheelchair
The model project "No Barriers at the Berchtesgaden National Park" is to get underway in Berchtesgaden/D in July 2005. The project is to look at ways in which people with physical disabilities or restricted mobility can gain access to unspoilt natural environments.
Red deer a tasty treat for Italian wolves
Italian researchers have been analysing the excrements of two packs of wolves roaming Italy's Alpine region.