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Wall blocks centres of six cities

In protest against the fragmentation of habitats in the Alpine space Stop – no way through! Today, 20 October 2010, a giant wall blocks the way of pedestrians in Zurich, Vienna, Munich, Ljubljana and Milan. For animals, it’s the same every day: streets and settlements increasingly fragment their migration routes. Against the background of the 10th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biodiversity, now being held in Nagoya, Japan, WWF, CIPRA, ALPARC and ISCAR (the ‘Ecological Continuum Initiative’) demonstrate with ‘The Wall’ how important interlinked habitats are for the survival of many plant and animal species.

cc.alps: CIPRA Demands – Energy self-sufficient regions

Not having to depend on energy imports: this vision holds great fascination for many regions. Self-sufficiency is “in.” There are already many very positive approaches and examples of attempts to go down this road. At the heart of all the concepts is the idea of meeting demand through regional renewable sources of energy, saving energy and using energy more efficiently. Anyone who systematically takes this approach in an attempt to create an energy self-sufficient region changes the face of their region and its structures – to the benefit of their own economy, society and the environment.

cc.alps showcases future mobility in the Alps

In September CIPRA focused on the issue of sustainable mobility and transport as part of cc.alps and co-organised two events on these topics.

climalp video: living in a plus-energy house

CIPRA's climalp project demonstrates that energy-efficient houses built using regionally sourced timber are highly beneficial when it comes to living comfort, the climate, and the regional economy. A recent video featuring the single-family home of the Götz family built in Switzerland's Rhine valley in 2004 illustrates what sustainable, climate-friendly building can look like in practice.

Power plant expansion on the Lech at the expense of nature conservation?

The Lech river in Bavaria/D is already being used on a massive scale for electricity generation, and only the stretch at Augsburg/D remains undeveloped. But even this section of the river could very soon become the site of a hydroelectric power plant. The expansion plans are not an isolated case; rather, they reflect a trend throughout the Alps, and one that is gathering momentum.

Background report on "Energy Self-sufficient Regions" now online!

The latest cc.alps background report is the compact on "Energy Self-sufficient Regions". It is dedicated to this topical, future-oriented issue and takes an in-depth look at the ambitious concept and its conflicts of objectives.

Calm and collected in a heated discussion: Pascale Poblet, CCP Project Manager "There's no stress involved in travelling by bus or by bike."

With a commuter plan that encourages the use of modes of transport other than cars the STMicroelectronics and ST-Ericsson site in Grenoble/F is committed to eco- and climate-friendly mobility. For this initiative the company was awarded one of the cc.alps competition prizes worth 10,000 euros. Pascale Poblet, CCP (Company Commuter Plan) Project Manager, explains why the company's workforce is in such great shape and why the company's kitty has benefited as a result.

Climate change: why the Alps are particularly affected

Temperatures in the Alps have risen by just under 2°C over the past 120 years, almost twice as much as the global average. And they are set to rise even more. Researchers are predicting a further 2°C increase over the next forty years. At first glance that might not appear particularly dramatic. But all it takes is a change of a few degrees to significantly affect the climate.

10 messages for 2010 – Cultural landscapes and biodiversity heritage

Extreme Methane Emissions from a Swiss Hydropower Reservoir: Contribution from Bubbling Sediments

CIPRA Yearly Symposium 2010: "The Alps Adapting to Change"

CIPRA's 54th Yearly Symposium was held in Semmering/A (14-16 October 2010) to the motto of "The Alps Adapting to Change - Peripheral Regions Between Wasteland and Hope". It clearly showed that decision-makers are only now beginning to perceive the problems remote areas within the Alps are faced with. Unsurprisingly there were no patent remedies to the problems these areas have to contend with - indeed the circumstances and claims to exploitation in individual regions of the Alps are far too diverse and need to be countered in just as many ways. What remains is a need for debate and action for a sustainable, future-orientated development of peripheral rural regions in the Alps.

European mountain areas: focusing on trendsetting projects

In mid-September 350 experts and interested participants from 23 countries gathered in Lillehammer/NO to discuss the implementation of innovative projects in European mountain areas. By now in the mountains of Europe there are already multiple trendsetting projects in progress. One of the conclusions reached by the experts is that a better usage needs to be made of that potential, and that it also needs to be expanded further.

Glossary on ecological networks

Evaluation of approaches for designing and implementing ecological networks in the Alps

Experiences from the Carpathians: a manual on creation of ecological corridors

Based on a pilot project of realizing trans-boundary ecological connectivity in the Ukrainian Carpathians a manual on stakeholder involvement and landscape-ecological modeling to connect protected areas has recently been published.

First atlas of biodiversity risk in Europe

The new "Atlas of Biodiversity Risk" is the first of its kind to describe and summarise in a comprehensive, easy-to-read and richly illustrated form the major pressures, impacts and risks of biodiversity loss on a European and global level.

Europe's ecological backbone: recognising the true value of our mountains

Energy self-sufficient regions

European Landscape Convention

The true value of our mountains

The European Environmental Agency (EEA) has just published a new report titled Europe's ecological backbone: recognising the true value of our mountains. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of population numbers, ecosystems, water cycles, land use, and policies in mountain regions. The report focuses its attention on forces and interactions between the various issues and their impact on Europe's mountain areas.

European Landscape Convention - Implementation in Slovenia

Creation of ecological corridors in Ukraine

CIPRA Yearly Symposium: marginal creativity...

This year's CIPRA Symposium focuses on the socio-economic margins of the Alps. Why "margins"? Because the nearest hospital is a far away and the post office is only open in the morning; because the towns and cities are beckoning, and nature is gaining more and more ground. The prevailing process of urbanisation has little in the way of prospects to offer these mountain regions, whose potential is already low.

Photo-shooting the Alps

Time for photographers of the Alps to show off their best shots! The Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention is organising a photo competition with the aim of publishing the twelve best photographs in a calendar. There will also be a special prize for each published photograph.

A milestone for alpMedia

With its current issue CIPRA's three-weekly Newsletter alpMedia is going out to more than 25'000 people throughout the Alps for the first time. CIPRA launched the alpMedia information project during the International Year of the Mountains 2002, and at that time the Newsletter was sent to just 1'700 people.

Connectivity conservation and the Great Eastern Ranges corridor

Assessing and Creating Linkages within and beyond protected areas

Better Mobility - Better Cities

2010 International report on mountain tourism

10 messages for 2010 — Mountain ecosystems