Alps / Europe
News, publications, press releases, positions... on this page you find current and alpine-relevant information from the Alps and the european region.
Storm Lothar not an ecological disaster
Storm damage does not pose a threat to the long-term conservation of Switzerland's forests; rather it contributes to forest renewal and promotes biodiversity. Read More…
Certification system for sustainable hotel establishments
The Ibex Label is to be used to certify Swiss hotel establishments which excel through particularly sustainable and social management. Depending on achievements one to five of these Ibexes are to be awarded by the Association for Economy, Ecology and Society. Read More…
New publications show: biodiversity still on the wane
The "Biodiversität in der Schweiz" (Biodiversity in Switzerland) study published by the Biodiversity Forum Switzerland has concluded that genetic diversity and biodiversity are more at risk in Switzerland than in most other European countries. Read More…
Who's picking up the bill? New study on external transport costs in Germany and Europe
A study published in early October on the external costs of transport in the EU, Switzerland and Norway by the research institutes IWW (Karlsruhe/D) and Infras (Zurich/CH) shows that the transport system in Germany causes some €150 bn in health and environmental costs each year. Read More…
As free as a bird? Light pollution a hazard for migratory birds
More and more migratory birds are falling prey to night-time lighting conditions as they fly south. A closed cover of low-lying fog such as the one that prevailed over large areas of Switzerland in mid-October seriously disrupts the migratory birds' ability to orientate themselves; combined with towns and villages that are brightly lit at night it can represent a death trap for the birds. Read More…
International Mountain Day focuses on conflict resolution
December 11 is to be celebrated worldwide as International Mountain Day. This year the main focus of interest is the overriding significance of peace for sustainable development. Read More…
Landmark NEAT Project under pressure to cut costs
According to the Swiss Federal Office for Transport total costs of Switzerland's "New Alps Transversal Route" (NEAT) are likely to be CHF 302 m higher than calculated in the summer, due essentially to geological fault zones, uncertainties about the planned route and costly rail securing techniques. Read More…
More protection against GMO crossover
The Environment Ministers of Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Germany have called for genetically modified plants to be regulated by cross-border legislation. At the traditional annual meeting held in Potsdam on 16 September the four Ministers discussed not only ecological and transport policy issues but also how to deal with gene technology in agriculture. Read More…
Are the Alps fit for the future? "Future in the Alps" project gets underway
At the Alpine Week 2004 in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA) presented its new project entitled "Future in the Alps", a broad-based project aimed at promoting sustainable development in the alpine region. Read More…
Greater co-operation to protect against natural hazards
Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein intend to co-operate even more closely to protect against natural hazards in the Alps. This decision was taken by the four German-language Environmental Ministers at this year's meeting in Potsdam/D. The Ministers concurred that natural catastrophes in the Alps were likely to occur more and more often despite all the efforts being made with regard to climate protection. Read More…
The Emmen valley - The vision of a valley heated without oil
Timber and solar energy rather than oil, gas and electricity are to be the heating resources of the future in Switzer-land's Emmen valley. Although the Emmen valley region is densely forested, each year it still buys in some CHF 30 m's worth of oil, gas and electricity - while more than half the wood accruing each year simply rots away in the region's forests. It's a situation the "Oil of Emmental" project hopes to remedy. Read More…
Hydrogen-powered piste vehicles in the Alps
The Swiss association Swiss Alps 3000 has launched a new campaign aimed at zero-emissions mobility in the Alps. As part of the campaign it presented the prototype of a hydrogen-powered piste vehicle. The first vehicle of this type was tested during winter 2003/2004. Read More…
King Albert I Memorial Foundation Award
For the sixth time now the King Albert I Memorial Foundation presented awards for outstanding achievements in connection with the mountains of the world at Pontresina/CH on 11 September 2004. Read More…
Ultra-low energy building gains altitude
The highest ultra-low energy business premises of the Alps were officially opened in Punt Muragl (En-gadine/Switzerland) at the end of August. Gasser Building Materials' 23,000 m3 warehouse with integrated DIY store is situated at an altitude of 1,728 m above sea level and is heated almost exclusively by solar energy. Read More…
Environment Award of Switzerland
For the fifth time already the Pro Aqua-Pro Vita Foundation is organising its Environment Award of Switzerland. The Award is open to private individuals, companies and institutions from all countries, and the closing deadline is 15 December. Read More…
Europe's changing climate and the hot summer of 2003
Europe's climate has changed considerably over the past one hundred years, and the impact of that change is visible in many areas. An extensive study in English by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows that Alpine glaciers for instance have lost more than half their ice mass. Read More…
New publication: "Path to Nature's Wisdom - Ecological Dialogue Himalaya and Alps"
The Naturschutzbund Steiermark/A has published a German and English conference book following the international conference "Path to Nature's Wisdom - Ecological Dialogue Himalaya and Alps". The conference was held in Graz/A from 9 to 11 October 2002 as part of the UN's International Year of the Mountains 2002, under the patronage of the Dalai Lama. Read More…
New competences at the EU for the Alpine Convention
As of November a new Commissioner at the European Union is to be officially responsible for the Alpine Convention. Stavros Dimas, currently Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, is to take over as Commissioner for the Environment. Read More…
2004 Award for Sustainable Tourism: Take part now!
The authorities of the département of Haute-Savoie/F is presenting an award for the most sustainable tourist project as part of the 6th Tourism Summit of Chamonix Mont-Blanc. Read More…
Thesis on dead wood and the preservation of biodiversity in forests
At the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne/CH the doctoral candidate Rita Bütler has looked at the question of how much dead wood is enough for biodiversity conservation in managed forests. Read More…
International conference on erosion and related problems
The European Land and Soil Alliance (ELSA e.V.) is holding its 3rd Annual International Conference under the motto "Erosion and Soil Protection - The Challenge of Soil Erosion for Local Authorities". The Conference is being held in Bolzano/I on 23 - 24 September, with simultaneous interpreting available in German, English and Italian. Read More…
New tourist complexes in high mountain regions
The Ukrainian project at Bukovel reflects the global trend towards developing increasingly vast ski areas: Read More…
New publication: Mountains of Europe - Stakeholders, legitimization, delineation
Europe's mountains are the topic of a new publication in the series Revue de géographie alpine / Journal of Alpine Research. Six essays in French and in English by renowned scientists such as Werner Bätzing have been compiled under keywords such as "Stakeholders, legitimization, delineation". Read More…
Still little research into permafrost
During a six-year experimental series Reynold Delaloye, geographer at Fribourg University/CH, has found that permafrost reacts less sensitively to warming than was previously assumed, with no change noted in soil temperature at greater depths. He attributes his findings to a cooling ventilation mechanism that sets in in winter. Read More…
REMOTION - International conference on environmentally friendly mobility concepts and tourism
REMOTION 2004 is an expert conference that invites participants to consider and discuss the future prospects of mobility in tourism. It is being held at Werfenweng/A from 19 to 21 September and aims to bring together tourism destinations and manufacturers of environmentally sound transport and drive technologies. Read More…
Carpathian Convention: Interim Secretariat in Vienna
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has opened a new office in Vienna: as of July the UNEP office is to act as the Interim Secretariat of the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians. Read More…
Sonthofen to be 2005 Alpine Town of the Year
On July 8 the German town of Sonthofen officially launched its preparations for the 2005 Alpine Town of the Year with an impulse workshop followed by a press conference. An international jury is to award Sonthofen the title of "2005 Alpine Town of the Year" for its past services on behalf of sustainable development in particular. Read More…
Worsening of regional differences in Swiss mountain regions
Switzerland's rural areas and mountain regions are continuing to struggle with depopulation and unemployment. By contrast large regions and central areas are less affected by this negative trend, which has now been ongoing for several years. Read More…
ReSource Award - On the lookout for sustainable water management projects
This year once again Swiss Re, a leading re-insurance company, is rewarding innovative water management projects. Read More…
New web site for Mountain Partnership
The Mountain Partnership organisation went online at the beginning of July. The www.mountainpartnership.org internet site provides a wealth of information on mountains in English, French and Spanish, with a new Newsletter entitled "Peak to Peak" and facts and figures on the international day of the mountains. Read More…