Austria
News, publications, press releases, positions... on this page you find current and alpine-relevant information from Austria.
Articles, publications, press releases, CIPRA positions - here you find relevant information on alpine topics from Germany. Please check the other language versions in german, french, italian and slovene for more content.
Victory and defeat for new protected areas
New protected areas are valuable for biodiversity, with many also intended to boost the local economy. There are nevertheless frequent reservations. Read More…
Strange but true...
soft guitar music, gentle singing, then the camera zooms onto a green, undeveloped hillside. Read More…
Olympic Realities – Six Cities after the Games
Since 2012 Bruno Helbling has travelled 6 Cities to discover and photograph Olympic sport venues. A large-format photo book with text essays by six journalist and experts will be published in october 2015 by Birkhäuser Publisher. Read More…
Point of view: He who sows infrastructure, reaps more traffic
At the end of February 2016 Swiss voters will decide on the building of a second road tunnel at the Gotthard Pass. The CHF 4 billion project will torpedo Switzerland’s modal shift policy, believes Barbara Wülser, CIPRA International’s communications manager. Read More…
A toolbox for climate change
Climate change is a fact. Its complexity, however, means that it remains an abstract notion for regional decision-makers. CIPRA, together with its partners, is supporting Alpine regions. Read More…
Hot topic: mountain biking
Like hikers, mountain bikers are now part of the mountain landscape, often using the same paths. The result: conflicts between the two groups are on the increase. Read More…
European tourism prize for Bohinj
For years slow mobility has been a priority in the Slovenian town of Bohinj. It has now been awarded the EDEN network’s innovation prize. Read More…
Strange but true...
When it comes to superlatives, the French also want to get in on the act. Read More…
Traditional nature conservation in crisis
The European Union is pushing for better implementation of its biodiversity strategy. At the same time protected areas in the Alps are being broken up, weakened or downgraded. Where is the problem? Read More…
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. Read More…
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. Read More…
Swiss reheat Olympic candidacy
Two Swiss cantons, Graubünden (Grisons) and Wallis (Valais), are now competing to host the Winter Olympics – even though voters in Graubünden rejected a proposed candidacy in 2013, and it has already failed several times in Wallis. Read More…
Hochparterre: Constructive Alps
In a special issue of the architecture magazine Hochparterre the four winners and all the nominees of the final round of Constructive Alps, the International award for sustainable renovation and new building in the Alps. In German with English summaries. Read More…
Transport sufficiency: Towards a new sustainable mobility culture
CIPRA Position on the mobility of goods and people in the Alps Read More…
Crying wolf?
The protected status of the wolf is being ever more vehemently called into question. French sheep farmers have fuelled the debate further by taking hostages. Those living in the mountains meanwhile remain divided. Read More…
Point of view: Change begins in the heart
Claire Simon, Executive Director of CIPRA International, used the occasion of the 2015 CIPRA annual conference to call for more engagement with people and their ways of thinking in order to strengthen the natural and cultural diversity of the Alps. Read More…
CIPRA strengthens youth participation
Numerous young people want to get involved in the issues affecting the Alps. Proof of this was provided by the “Youth Alpine Express” at the CIPRA annual conference in Liechtenstein. The new YAPP online platform provides a link for these activities. Read More…
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. Read More…
A warm welcome to the new Alpine residents!
With an aging population and falling birth rates, depopulation and a boom in the immigration of the “new Highlanders”, the demographic change is marking the entire Alpine area – but different regions are being affected to varying degrees. Read More…
Better protection for Alpine rivers
A European legal ruling has strengthened the protection of Alpine rivers. Derogations for hydro plants or snow-making facilities are now more difficult to obtain. The politicians are up in arms. Read More…
Strange but true...
Alpine glaciers are a skiing venue in the middle of summer, they supply villages and towns with drinking water and even provide a habitat for glacier fleas. Read More…
Appeal: Climate change mitigation now!
An appeal from the Alpine municipalities and their inhabitants to the participants of COP 21 Read More…
A Sustainable Life - Wolfgang E. Burhenne and the development of environmental law
Wolfgang Burhenne is a most renowned and highly honoured personality in environmental law worldwide. International instruments such as the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature, the World Charter for Nature, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and others are rooted in his ideas, engagement and professional input. This book shows how passion and talent in a person combined with life experiences and circumstances in society and politics to shape a unique life. In the case of Burhenne, his life achievements benefit us all, as well as future generations. Read More…
Helping ecosystems in Europe to adapt to climate change
This report summarises much of the work done by, and for, the Climate Change Group of the European Network of Heads of Nature Conservation Agencies (ENCA) between 2011 and 2013. The ENCA Climate Change Group is made up of experts in climate change and ecology from government conservation agencies across Europe. Read More…
Sustainable building from the Arctic circle to the Mediterranean
Attractive public buildings, built of wood and stone to passive house standards: this is how the schools and community centres of the future will look. With its 35 pilot buildings the MountEE project is putting sustainable building into practice in different climate zones. Read More…
AlpStore Projects - Case Studies
In AlpStore, 19 partners from all 7 Alpine countries investigated the short, medium and long term requirements for both stationary and mobile energy storages. They tested storages that need to be available all the time as well as others such as the batteries of electric vehicles, which may be disconnected from the power grid for a while. They used a wide range of technologies, such as biogas and hydrogen. They tested second life batteries and developed communication strategies and actively involved local citizens. This set of 12 case studies shall give an insight in the technologies, their availability and potential use cases. Partners of the local pilot applications share their findings, results and experiences. That shall allow a broad range of practitioners and planners to gain better understanding of how energy storage systems work and how they can help secure the prosperity of the Alpine Space. Read More…
White Book - Smart Storage and Mobility (STORM)
The Whitebook builds on the results of Alp-Store at about half time of the project. At the time of its publication AlpStore partners are in the midst of their research and deployment activities. Final guidelines of the project will be published in early 2015. They will describe the ultimate findings and give guidance to local and regional authorities, regional energy utilities and Investors. Nonetheless, it is worthwhile to use the information given in this Whitebook to structure the discussion process. Moreover, chapter 9.3 contains “Short-term non-regret options for players in Alpine regions”. Read More…
Smart Storage and Mobility - Guidelines for Regional Decision Makers
In AlpStore, 19 partners from all 7 Alpine countries investigated the short, medium and long term requirements for both stationary and mobile energy storage. They tested storage that needs to be available all the time as well as others such as the batteries of electric vehicles, which may be disconnected from the power grid for a while. They used a wide range of technologies, such as biogas and hydrogen. They tested second life batteries and developed communication strategies and actively involved local citizens. Now, it is time to share their findings, results and experiences from the implemented pilot applications to contribute to a better understanding of how storage works and how they can help secure the prosperity of the Alpine Space. Read More…
Connecting Mountains, people, nature - shaping the framework for an efficient european biodiversity policy for the alps
How successful are biodiversity policies, strategies and projects at connecting humans and nature in the Alps? The greenAlps project surveyed how efficient and effective nature conservation instruments are from the European to the municipal level. Our ultimate goal is to stimulate pro-nature governance change in Alpine countries. Read More…
Staking a claim for nature - Policy recommendations for the alpine space
The policy recommendations in this document highlight some of the gaps that have to be filled and needs that have to be met in order to implement successful nature protection measures. Moreover, they underline the huge impact that political situations have on nature conservation. Read More…
