News
Partnership between the Alps and the Carpathians
On 16 June UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the WWF launched a new partnership between the Alps and the Carpathians in Montecatini/I.
Why wait? Pull down those unused mountain installations now!
Anyone who comes across unused installations or buildings while out hiking or mountaineering in the Swiss Alps should take part in the Wilderness Olympics 2005 and notify Mountain Wilderness (MW) of their "find".
Trading emissions to achieve "zero emissions" target at the Olympic Games
Turin/I is aiming to maximise the reduction in the output of greenhouse gases during the forthcoming Winter Olympics with the aid of its HECTOR (Heritage Climate Torino) programme launched in 2004.
Nepalese Sherpas in Tyrol
27 Sherpas from Nepal are currently attending training courses at refuges in Austria's Tyrol province.
Insufficient snowfall a cause of recessive glaciers
Lower winter precipitation has been one of the causes, along with global warming, behind melting glaciers over the past 150 years. These are the main findings of a study by researchers at the Laboratoire de glaciologie et géophysique de Grenoble/F and the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich/CH, published in the Geophysical Research Letters.
Alpine transit exchange - a feasible, efficient and cost-effactive solution
An Alpine transit exchange is seen as a viable option for promoting a shift from road to rail for transalpine heavy goods vehicle traffic. A report commissioned by the Swiss Ministry of Transport has confirmed the technical feasibility and economic acceptability of such a solution.
Dolomites of Peace - debating peace today at yesterday's scenes of war
"Dolomites of Peace" is the name of a series of nine events devoted to the subject of peace to be run by writers, philosophers, actors, church representatives and experts between 1 July and 24 August.
Fewer glaciers, more earthquakes?
According to the results of research carried out by the Universities of Münster/D and Berne/CH, the advance and retreat of glaciers and lakes can trigger earthquakes.
2005 European Solar Prize announced
Eurosolar is again awarding the German and European Solar Prizes in 2005, with 31 August as the deadline for submissions.
France ratifies all Alpine Convention protocols
Following the decision taken by the Chamber of Deputies on 10 March, the French Senate approved ratification of the remaining protocols to the Alpine Convention in a unanimous vote with just one abstention on 12 May.
2005 Junior Ranger Camp - Protected areas and cross-border co-operation
From 31 July to 6 August the Gesäuse National Park in Austria is hosting an International Junior Ranger Camp. Junior Ranger is the name of a European pilot project co-ordinated by EUROPARC which is targeted at young people from the affiliated protected areas and the regions bordering on them.
Snowcats and man-made snow as a threat to plant diversity
The number of plant species growing on mountain slopes used for ski trails in Switzerland is eleven percent lower than on adjoining sites. The reduction is especially striking in the case of woody and early flowering plants.
Research into environmental impacts along the main Alpine traffic arteries
This spring saw the launch of ALPNAP, a new project in the framework of the EU's Interreg IIIB Alpine Space Programme.
Italy: mountain peak to be illuminated during the 2006 Winter Olympics
During the 2006 Winter Olympics the local authority for Valli Po, Bronda e Infernotto plans to illuminate the summit of Monviso, the mountain that is the hallmark of the Piedmont.
Breakthrough in the Lötschberg railway tunnel
28 April saw the breakthrough right in the middle of the almost 3-kilometer-long Lötschberg rail tunnel under the Swiss Alps.
Conference to mark the 70th anniversary of Passo Stelvio National Park
This year marks the seventieth anniversary of Passo Stelvio National Park in Italy. To celebrate the occasion the management of the National Park is organising a big weekend event with three scientific conferences on 8-11 September 2005.
New book: the good alpine air
A new publication in the series "Revue de géographie alpine/journal of alpine research" is devoted to the subject of the air in the Alps. The mountain air has played a major role in the history of the Alps since the end of the 18th century.
Ski area for the Himalayas
The highest ski slopes in the northern hemisphere are shortly to be built in Gulmarg on the slopes of Mount Afarwat in the Indian part of Kashmir. With a budget of 2.5 million euros, a French company is planning to build ski lifts and a 2.5-kilometre-long ski run at an altitude of over 4500 meters above sea-level.
NEGST- New Generation of Solar Thermal Systems
The overall objective of this project is to introduce more cost-effective solar thermal systems, particularly for domestic hot water preparation and / or space heating, to the market in order to contribute to the European Union's Action Plans with regard to the reduction of CO2 – Emissions and the cost effective supply of renewable energies.
Putting an end to terminology confusion in the alpine region
The LexAlp project was recently launched in a bid to harmonise the legal language used in environmental and regional planning in alpine countries. As the first project of its kind LexAlp covers all four official languages of the Alps - French, German, Italian and Slovene.
New EU project: AlpNaTour
The Interreg IIIB AlpNaTour Project has been up and running since the start of this year. The Project focuses on practical ways of integrating recreation and tourism concerns in management planning processes of Natura 2000 sites. The Project is to provide a guideline and checklists for the management of Natura 2000 sites influenced by the economic interests of tourism and recreation.
Japan: Many skiing regions on verge of bankruptcy
Japan's winter resorts are in crisis. Since the boom years in the early 1990s the number of winter sports enthusiasts has dropped by more than a third. Even on weekends where snow is abundant many of the lifts remain closed. One ski resort in two is on the verge of bankruptcy. And yet in recent years only 4 out of a total of 722 ski areas have closed down; this is because Japanese legislation requires that, in the event of closure, operators dismantle the lift facilities and restore the ski slopes.
Rolex rewards the spirit of enterprise
The Rolex Awards are for outstanding initiatives in relation with the environment, cultural heritage, science and medicine, technology and innovation as well as research and discovery.
Austria in Bid for Alpine Convention Water Protocol
The main areas of focus of Austria's chairmanship of the Alpine Convention have now been defined. At a press conference held in Innsbruck/A on 18 March Environment Minister Josef Pröll outlined Austria's programme. According to Mr Pröll Austria is to focus on adopting a Water Protocol, addressing transport issues and completing the Progress Report on the state of the Alps.
The Alps as a wellness region - New EU project
January 2005 saw the launch of the Alpshealthcomp Project aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of the alpine region as a health and wellness destination. The partners of Alpshealthcomp, a project of the EU Community Initiative Interreg IIIB Alpine Space Programme, come from Italy, Austria and Germany, the project itself being endowed with around one million euros.
New Master of Science Programme on the Management of Protected Areas
The University of Klagenfurt/A has created a new study programme on the subject of the Management of Protected Areas. The two-year course in English is to be launched in September 2005. While the first semester focuses on theoretical and scientific foundations, the second and third semesters look at practical aspects of the management of protected areas.
Environmental risk assessment partly abolished in Austria
On March 2 Austria's Lower House of Parliament, the National Council, adopted a number of key changes to the statutory basis of environmental risk assessments. Under the amendment mandatory environmental risk assessments have been waived for specific projects (construction of or modifications to leisure and recreation parks, sports stadiums, etc.).
State subsidies for regional products compatible with EU law
Buying products from the region strengthens regional economic cycles and is kinder on the climate. However there has been some debate within the EU whether the subsidising of regional products by members state governments actually obstructed the European single market.
Turin Winter Olympics 2006: Government to fill financial gap
Less than one year before the start of the 2006 Winter Olympics uncertainty still prevails as to how to fill the financial gap of around €180 m that has resulted from a lack of revenue. Moreover the internal disputes within the Games' Organising Committee that have now been going on for several months have reached a new high with the forced resignations of both the Chairman and his deputy.
Network of forestry experts for the alpine region
On 16 February representatives of 19 forestry agencies from seven alpine countries launched the Interreg IIIB Project "KnowForAlp" in Vaduz/FL. KnowForAlp is an alpine-wide network for forest owners and foresters whose aim is to enable a comprehensive exchange and transfer of know-how.