Making biodiversity visible

How do mountain regions function? How can they respond to a rapidly changing world and become more resilient? These were the questions addressed at the conference, where CIPRA Lab highlighted the importance of biodiversity and governance for the Alpine region. Identifying and mapping priority areas for nature conservation in the Alps: the AlpsLife project team demonstrated how this can be done during the session “Mountain regions as key biodiversity observatories”. It presented methods for identifying and mapping priority areas for nature conservation in the Alps, with the aim of obtaining comparable data on biodiversity across the Alps.

A cross-border network is to be established so as to be able to respond more quickly to warning signals. “This is a major milestone for nature conservation in mountain regions worldwide”, said project manager Hanna Öllös. Among other things, she presented a governance map for Alpine biodiversity: this shows which institutions, strategies and actors are active in the Alps in the field of biodiversity, revealing how decisions are made – and where there is still room for improvement in terms of cooperation. “Preserving biodiversity in the Alps requires not only data, but also joint solutions”, adds Öllös. After the conference, the project partners continued their discussions at a working meeting and an excursion to the Karwendel Nature Park.