Act now to protect forests: sign the #HandsOffNature petition!
More than 40 percent of the Alpine region is covered by forests. They are not only a defining feature of the landscape, but also a cornerstone of Alpine livelihood, providing building materials, supporting biodiversity, and delivering essential ecosystem services.
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Renewed website Ecological Networks in the European Alps
The Ecological Continuum Initiative has launched its renewed webpage. Apart from the new appealing graphic design the website is also richer in information in German, French, Italian and Slovenian language such as publications, links, events and news. Therefore the website is more attractive for a wide public.
"The Wall": Less barriers, more life!
Stop - no way through! On 20th of October 2010 a giant wall blocked the way of pedestrians in Zurich/CH, Vienna/A, Munich/D, Ljubljana/SI, Milan/I and Lyon/F. For animals, it's the same every day: streets and settlements increasingly fragment their migration routes.
Sergio Savoia | WWF European Alpine Programme | Bellinzona, CH
Dear colleagues and friends of the Ecological Continuum Initiative,
The international year of biodiversity is coming to an end. 2010 represented a unique opportunity to highlight the importance of biodiversity conservation. The topic had a large echo in the media, thanks to numerous events, new publications, TV reports etc. The year was also fruitful for ecological connectivity - a not so simple topic that received unprecedented media attention. In 2010 the Ecological Continuum Initiative's main focus was on communication. Many articles were published in specialized media. However our main achievement was "The Wall" event. Its aim was to bring home our message on the need for ecological connectivity, carrying it across the whole Alpine space, across administrative, language and cultural boundaries. We succeeded. Pedestrians in six Alpine cities were confronted with a big barrier blocking their paths: an obstacle much like those encountered by animals and plants every day. The public had therefore a chance to experience first hand the problem of habitat fragmentation. The event attracted the attention of local and national media in the Alpine countries. Thanks to "The Wall" the topic of ecological connectivity has reached many more people than is normally the case for such "technical" subjects. It is an important achievement in which we intend to build further awareness-raising initiatives.
alpMedia | Schaan, LI
A media house for the Alps
The Alps are to have their own multilingual media platform. This ambitious idea was launched by the Rhaeto-Romanic department of Switzerland's public radio broadcaster. Las-Alps-Infoteca is to become "a competence centre for media in the Alps, providing news and information from the Alps and about the Alps".
Events
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Webinar: The journey of water | online | |
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XIV European Mountain Convention | Sallanches / France | |
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Alps in Motion: new Alpine-wide Day of Action | alpswide | |
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Symposium 2: Vernacular Buildings in the Anthropocene | Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna (Austria) |
Projects
CIPRA International
Alpine Partnership for Local Climate Action (ALPACA)
[Project completed] Rising temperatures, rockfalls, lack of snow: global warming is clearly noticeable in the Alpine region. The «Alpine Partnership for Local Climate Action» has the intention to bring together cities, municipalities and networks in order to work together for more climate protection. With this initiative, CIPRA International, «Alliance in the Alps» and «Alpine Town of the Year» want to strengthen the transregional exchange of knowledge and experience. The goal of positioning the Alps as a model region for climate protection is also in line with the Alpine Convention.
CIPRA International
whatsalp
[Project completed] Starting 3rd of June 2017, a group of Alpine experts were hiking through Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy from Vienna to Nice in the course of the project “whatsalp”. They documented the current state of the Alps and exchanged experiences with different people on-site and on the way.
CIPRA Slovenija