Alps / Europe
News, publications, press releases, positions... on this page you find current and alpine-relevant information from the Alps and the european region.
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. Read More…
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. Read More…
CIPRA submits Memorandum on Future in the Alps
In a Memorandum, CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, formulates political demands for the future development of the Alpine region as a whole. The demands are the result of the Future in the Alps Project. Read More…
Alpine transit under EU observation
The new EU observatory for traffic in the Alpine region became operational in mid-March. It has been set up to monitor road, rail and combined traffic in the Alpine region. Read More…
On the right track - for and with hikers
An international joint venture of eight hiking regions grouped under the heading of Best of Wandern has come up with some innovative ideas for boosting visitor figures and strengthening visitor loyalty. Read More…
New publication on Alpine Towns
In 2005 CIPRA, the International Commission on the Protection of the Alps, organised a large conference on Alpine Towns and has now published the collected findings in a conference book. Read More…
Unconventional co-operation in Switzerland's mountain regions
The Swiss Working Group on Mountain Regions has struck up a co-operation venture with eBay International AG, the world's largest internet auction house. Private individuals as well as small and medium-sized businesses are to be trained in buying and selling products and services via eBay. Read More…
Indoor ski venues closing in on the Alps
It's not just in the desert state of Dubai that indoor ski runs are proving increasingly popular, but also in Europe. No snow means no revenue, and the mild weather is giving Europe's ski resorts a serious headache, one which the ski industry is hoping to relieve with artificial snow and indoor venues, regardless of global warming issues. Read More…
Plans for a ski resort in the Natura 2000 region of northern Spain
According to plans by the regional government of Castile-León a new winter sports resort with ski-lift capacities for 32,000 visitors an hour is to be built in the northern Spanish provinces of Cantabria, Leon and Palencia. Read More…
New measures for combating and managing particulate matte
Every winter, de-icing salt is scattered on the roads despite its negative impact on the environment, groundwater, infrastructure and cars. But now Klagenfurt/A has come up with an alternative: Instead of salt it is to spray calcium magnesium acetate (CMA), a de-icing agent made from calcium, magnesium and acetic acid. Read More…
EU: Is regional planning foremost an instrument for business development?
EU regional planning ministers are to meet on 25 May 2007 to adopt a Territorial Agenda designed to provide a framework for future spatial development in Europe. Read More…
55th international mountain film festival in Trento
The Trento Film Festival is being held in Trento/I from 24 April to 6 May 2007 for the 55th time. Topical documentary and feature films are to be screened in four categories, with awards going to the best. Read More…
Low-cost construction method for the KlimaHau
The provinces of South Tyrol/I and Lower Saxony/D have co-developed the world's first ever energy-saving prefabricated house based on a low-cost construction method. The aim is to establish and use the South Tyrol KlimaHaus as an alternative construction method for Africa and disaster areas. Read More…
Will the Mont Blanc finally become part of UNESCO's Natural Heritage?
The international Pro Mont Blanc association, which has been campaigning actively since 1991 for the protection of the Mont Blanc, would like to see the mountain massif finally included on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Read More…
Ski runs a hazard for bird communities
According to a report compiled by ecologists at the University of Turin/I in the Journal of Applied Ecology, high-altitude alpine ski runs are posing a serious threat to bird communities. Read More…
Mountain areas as menageries
The latest issue of the Journal of Alpine Research (fr/en) features "mountain areas as menageries". Indeed the decline in biodiversity is a major ecological problem. Read More…
Alpine glaciers melting ever faster
The glaciers of the Alps could well disappear sooner than expected. Researchers now believe that in thirty years' time only the largest and highest glaciers will be left. Read More…
Swiss Mountain Water Award 2007
This year again, the Swiss Mountain Water Award initiated by the Government Conference of the Mountain Cantons is to be held for the third year running since 2005, with prize money worth CHF 50,000. Read More…
Climate Star 2007 - European award for climate protection activities at the local level
For the third time the Climate Alliance of European Cities with Indigenous Rainforest Peoples is inviting all European cities and municipalities to present their climate protection activities and apply for a Climate Star. Read More…
1.5 tonnes of artificial fertilizer for skiing competitions?
The impact of climate change on skiing areas is the subject of the OECD study published on 13 December 2006. It concludes that if a region's average annual temperature increases by one degree, only around 500 of the 666 skiing areas in the Alps could be assured of snow. Read More…
Climate change impacts biodiversity
For a number of years now, biodiversity in Alpine ecosystems has been declining under the effect of climate change. Read More…
German environmental associations obtain greater rights of action
With the coming into force on 15 December 2006 of Germany's environmental legal remedy legislation environmental associations have been given greater rights of action in the area of environmental protection. Read More…
Werfenweng: "Sanft Mobil auf neuen Wegen"
"The idea to create a special book of photographs about Werfenweng and our passion for gentle mobility came about in summer 2005" Read More…
Olympic infrastructures - A bottomless pit?
The infrastructure facilities built for the Olympic Winter Games in Turin in February 2006 have proved an expensive legacy. Read More…
Davos on the road to Kyoto
Davos, Switzerland's highest town, is working towards a more climate-friendly local policy. Read More…
Exchange of know-how on regional management
Two events focusing on regional development and management are scheduled for the beginning of 2007 as part of the workshop series entitled "Future in the Alps: Getting Knowledge Across - Networking People" organised by CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps. Read More…
Tests underway on the world's highest solar power station
The Swiss utility BKW FMB Energie AG is currently conducting trials scheduled to last until this summer on a high-alpine solar power station. Read More…
Database on experts in mountain area research
The Mountain Research Initiative (MRI) has gone online with an expert database comprising almost 5,000 entries on people in governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as private groups who are involved in research into mountain regions in general and the impact of climate change in particular. Read More…
Boosting cross-alpine rail freight traffic
The Adriazug pilot project has been launched in a bid to reduce the burden of HGV traffic on transit routes through the Alps. Read More…
Alpine Convention: concrete measures on behalf of the climate
On November 9 the environment ministers of the alpine states convened for the Alpine Conference, which is held every two years. Read More…