Articles
IOC favours bobsleigh solution abroad
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has formally notified the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA) that there is no need to build a new bobsleigh track for the Winter Olympics. Read More…
Travelling with a clear conscience
The fifth edition of YOALIN started in April 2023. 150 Yoalin tickets are waiting for young people between 18 and 27 to travel the Alps in a climate-friendly way by train and bus. In addition, they are invited to the kick-off in Slovenia, to three hub events during the summer and to the final event in Switzerland. Read More…
Alpine Policy 2023: the Slovenian-Swiss year
This year, Slovenia and Switzerland will play a decisive role in shaping international cooperation between states and regions in the Alps: Slovenia is taking over the presidency of the Alpine Convention, while Switzerland is the first non-EU country to chair the Eusalp, the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region. Read More…
Expedition for future female glacier researchers
Stay overnight on the glacier for over a week, climb peaks, carry out scientific experiments: the “Girls* on Ice” project offers girls an awe-inspiring summer experience. Read More…
No glacier marriage in Tyrol
Finally it’s official: the plans for the world’s largest glacier ski area are history. In November 2022, the Tyrolean federal state government rejected the planned merger of the glacier ski areas in Austria’s Ötztal and Pitztal valleys. Read More…
Mountain forests and climate change
The consequences of climate change are also becoming apparent in the forests of the Alps. In South Tyrol/I and East Tyrol/A this year has seen an explosive spread of pests. What looks like frightening devastation might present a long-term opportunity, however. Read More…
A stronger voice for young people
Young people want to bring about sustainable change, but politics and society are moving too slowly. At the launch of CIPRA International’s Erasmus+ project “Alpine Climate Camps”, young adults discussed their commitment to a sustainable world in Schaan/LI in January 2023. Read More…
Unsuitable landscapes for energy production
The results of a recent survey from Switzerland are clear: no to energy production in almost unspoilt mountain areas. Intensively used areas around ski resorts or existing power plants would be better suited to the expansion of renewable energy. Read More…
Visitor flows under control
More and more people are travelling to the mountains – and staying for shorter and shorter periods. This causes traffic and environmental problems. Pilot regions in Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Germany want to change that. With the speciAlps2 project, which is now coming to an end, they have taken the first steps to manage the flow of visitors. Read More…
Over the Alps on foot
In the summer of 2022, nine “Via Alpina Explorers” set out to hike the new red route of the Via Alpina. Three of them walked the route from start to finish, visiting all eight Alpine countries along the way – an undertaking that took four months. Read More…
Point of view: We need more young people in the Alps
Ageing, emigration and dying villages are typical problems for many mountain regions. It must therefore become attractive for young people to live in the Alps again, says Kathrin Holstein, member of CIPRA’s Youth Council and staff member of the Alliance in the Alps network of municipalities. Read More…
eco.mont - Vol. 15 / No. 1
“eco.mont – Journal of Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management” was founded as a joint initiative of the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (ALPARC), the International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps (ISCAR), the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Innsbruck. “eco.mont” offers a platform specifically for scientists and practitioners working in and on protected mountain areas in Europe and overseas. Read More…
Mountain Research and Development Open Issue | Vol. 42/3
Four studies from Italy, France, and Cyprus examine how production of Mediterranean mountain food specialties—cheese, beef, and wine—can support sustainable development in the producing regions. Insights for better visitor management in protected areas are offered in an article from Nepal, using geolocated social media images, and in one from the French Alps, based on an analysis of visitors’ attitudes. A study from South Africa’s Drakensberg Mountains analyzes urbanization and land cover change. Read More…
A kindergarten again after 50 years
A small mountain village is reviving: in the 1980s, Ostana/I had shrunk to fewer than ten inhabitants. A slow but steady turnaround then followed: an important step on this path is the newly reopened kindergarten. Read More…
Alpine towns – key to sustainable development
The ninth Report on the State of the Alps, entitled “Alpine Towns”, was presented as part of the Swiss presidency of the Alpine Convention. It sheds light on how the Alpine settlement system hinders – or helps – the sustainable development of the Alps. Read More…
Alliance for climate-neutral Alpine transport
Seven of eight signatory states to the Alpine Convention today signed a progressive action plan for climate-neutral mobility by 2050 in Brig/CH. CIPRA International contributed to the almost two-year development of the action plan with proposals for the “Simplon Alliance”. Read More…
Making change possible
Inspirational inputs, heated discussions, fruitful exchanges and excursions into the impressive Valais region in and around the Alpine town of Brig-Glis/CH: AlpWeek 2022, held in early September in Brig-Glis/CH, was all about “Change in the Alps”. Read More…
South-East Europe’s first climate champions crowned
Climate protection across borders: on 9 November 2022, South-East Europe’s first Climate Champions were crowned in Sarajevo/BiH. From 40 projects submitted on climate protection and sustainability, an international jury of experts selected five, while two other projects received special awards. Read More…
Alpine Towns - Key to Sustainable Development in the Alps
9th Report on the state of the Alps. Read More…
Young people in action for the Alps
Implement your own ideas locally, initiate sustainable change and discover personal resources: these are the achievements of the two Erasmus+ youth projects, Alps2030 and Re.sources, that ended in autumn 2022. Read More…
Alliance for climate-neutral Alpine transport
Seven of eight signatory states to the Alpine Convention today signed a progressive action plan for climate-neutral mobility by 2050 in Brig/CH. CIPRA International contributed to the almost two-year development of the action plan with proposals for the “Simplon Alliance”. CIPRA and the Alpine Initiative are calling for more than mere lip service to the alliance. Read More…
Point of view: Let’s create an “Alpine Plan” for all Alpine regions!
The Bavarian Alpine Plan celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022. Alpine spatial planning has proven here that it is predestined to find solutions to the pressing issues of the day. Similar planning instruments are lacking in many Alpine regions, although we need them more urgently than ever, claim Paul Kuncio, Executive Director of CIPRA Austria, and Uwe Roth, Executive Director of CIPRA Germany. Read More…
Bad atmosphere in the Soča Valley
Slovenia’s largest cement plant is located in the Soča Valley: it is facing criticism for endangering the health of the local population through air pollution. This criticism has now also been confirmed by the UN Special Rapporteur David Boyd after his visit to Slovenia in autumn 2022. Read More…
Flexible and eco-friendly through the Alps
The right decision for their wallet and for the environment: 150 young participants in CIPRA’s Youth Alpine Interrail project celebrated the end of their climate-friendly journey of discovery through the Alps by train and bus in Bern at the beginning of October 2022. Read More…
Flexible and eco-friendly through the Alps
The right decision for their wallet and for the environment: 150 young participants in CIPRA’s Youth Alpine Interrail project celebrated the end of their climate-friendly journey of discovery through the Alps by train and bus in Bern at the beginning of October 2022. Read More…
Ideas for Jelovica from Pinzgau
Preserving the region’s natural and cultural heritage: this is the aim of the project on the Slovenian karst plateau of Jelovica. In mid-September 2022, the Slovenian partners of the “JeloviZA” project travelled to the Austrian Pinzgau region to gain inspiration from the Hohe Tauern National Park region. Read More…
Ideas for Jelovica from Pinzgau
Preserving the region’s natural and cultural heritage: this is the aim of the project on the Slovenian karst plateau of Jelovica. In mid-September 2022, the Slovenian partners of the “JeloviZA” project travelled to the Austrian Pinzgau region to gain inspiration from the Hohe Tauern National Park region. Read More…
The “Green Communities” in the Italian Alps
Sustainable management of the built heritage, energy efficiency, environmentally friendly mobility: how can mountain areas be upgraded and the overuse of natural resources curbed? The first “Green Communities” in Italy want to show that this is also possible in a socially acceptable way. Read More…
Natura 2000 site under pressure
Too many visitors are putting a strain on nature in the Trois Becs/F area and pushing the infrastructure to its limits. A study by CIPRA France proposes measures, including on-site personal sensitisation and greater communication. Read More…
A signal for climate protection
From Triglav National Park in Slovenia to Radnig in Austria and Gondo in Switzerland, on 13 August 2022 people came together to set an example for climate protection. This year’s «Fire in the Alps» was held under the motto «The Alps need climate protection». Read More…
