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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.

Milano-Cortina 2026: Fair play? Not a chance!

Artificial snow, traffic, concrete, fossil fuel sponsorship: numerous fouls were committed against nature before and during the 2026 Winter Olympics – and were also the subject of media coverage.

Alpine Changemaker Network

How can we advance eco-social transformation in the Alpine region? The Alpine Changemaker Network project combines Alpine traditions, as reflected in contemporary art, culture and design, with current approaches to overcoming global crises.

Winter Olympics on shaky ground

Use as much concrete and steel as possible: that seems to be the sustainability strategy for the Winter Olympics in the Italian Alps. Mountain communities are particularly affected. The icing on the cake is the construction of a new cable car on a slippery slope in Cortina.

Point of view: Winter Games need to face reality

Major events promise modernity, revitalisation and global visibility. In the Alps, however, these promises are now being made in territories marked by the climate crisis, depopulation and, at the same time, growing tourist pressure. Looking closely at Milan-Cortina 2026, what emerges is not only a celebration of sport, but one of the largest public and infrastructure investment programmes ever concentrated in the Alpine area – with effects that are set to continue well beyond the time of the competitions, says Vanda Bonardo, president of CIPRA Italy.

Petition against oil companies in skiing

An oil giant as a premium partner: energy company ENI is sponsoring the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Athletes are now calling for a rethink in winter sports with the “Ski Fossil Free” petition.

Winter Olympics on shaky ground

Use as much concrete and steel as possible: that seems to be the sustainability strategy for the Winter Olympics in the Italian Alps. Mountain communities are particularly affected. The icing on the cake is the construction of a new cable car on a slippery slope in Cortina.

When nature loses, we all lose

The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the safety of our homes – all depend on strong environmental laws. Right now, those protections are under attack. Once they’re gone, we hand the keys of our future to those who see nature only as a resource to exhaust. In the EU, environmental laws are being gutted, under the promise of “simplification” of the legal system. But in reality, these changes will only profit greed, while endangering the lives of all.

[3 questions to … ] Francesca Pasetti Bombardella

2026 is the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP 2026) aimed at raising global awareness of the critical importance of rangelands and pastoralist communities, managed by FAO during the whole 2026. Francesca Pasetti Bombardella is co-chair of the Regional IYRP Support Group Europe.

Open letter: Protecting the Alps from excessive transit traffic

The Alpine region is under increasing pressure from the climate crisis, air pollution and ever-growing traffic volumes: 67 organisations, led by CIPRA International, have therefore sent an open letter to EU Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas and the transport ministers of the Alpine countries.

Open letter: Protecting the Alps from excessive transit traffic

The Alpine region is under increasing pressure from the climate crisis, air pollution and ever-growing traffic volumes: 67 organisations, led by CIPRA International, have therefore sent an open letter to EU Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas and the transport ministers of the Alpine countries.

Winter Olympics: the Alps are more than just a playground

Major, global sports events have the power to fascinate and inspire. Winter sports hold a special place in the Alps, with their deep-rooted tradition and passionate following. We however believe that, as they currently stand, the Winter Olympic Games are neither environmentally nor socially acceptable. Despite promises of reform, recent developments such as the preparations for Milano-Cortina 2026 and the 2030 Games in France, as well as the “privileged candidacy” of Switzerland for the Winter Games 2038, all prove that the Olympic model remains unsustainable. In recent decades, referendums (e.g. in Innsbruck, Sion, Munich, Grisons) have several times demonstrated that large segments of the population are no longer willing to pay the price of the Winter Olympics.

Resource Talks - Voices from AG 6

The EUSALP Action Group 6 invites you to the third ResourceTalk – voices from AG6, a short Webinar series to explore and discuss about natural and cultural resources in the Alpine Region.

Reading Mountains Festival 2025

The cultural diversity of the Alps is so omnipresent in our everyday lives that we all too often take it for granted. Once a year, the Alpine Convention pays tribute to the cultural heritage in the Alps with the Alpine-wide ‘Reading Mountains Festival’, which consists of a mosaic of events organised by our partners throughout the Alpine region and beyond.

Boundaries between nature, community and lived utopias

On the weekend of September 13th and 14th, the Dachverband für Natur- und Umweltschutz Südtirol, in its role as CIPRA South Tyrol, went on a hike through the South Tyrolean Alps together with eleven young adults. During the excursion, they visited the lived utopia Vergissmeinnicht (“Forget-me-not”) and later held an in-depth conversation with the director of the Bruneck Art Workshop.

Dialogue on Alpine Spatial Planning: Proceedings of the CIPRA Annual Conference 2025

How can Alpine Spatial Planning mitigate conflicts between the energy transition and nature restoration? This question was addressed at the CIPRA Annual Conference 2025 in Salzburg, which brought together more than 160 participants. The proceedings show key insights and recommended actions – not in a concluding way, but as part of an ongoing learning process and as an impulse for further debates. They underline the shared understanding that the energy transition in the Alpine region must be approached and implemented in a cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary, and transboundary manner.

Alpine Spatial Planning: Spatial planning perspectives for overcoming conflicts of use in the context of the energy transition

The proceedings of the CIPRA Annual Conference 2025 summarise the participatively developed results, conclusions, and normative policy and planning recommendations on the role of Alpine spatial planning in the context of current EU requirements for nature restoration and the expansion of renewable energies.

Quality of life in the Alps

Report on the state of the Alps - by the Alpine Convention

Position: Transport and mobility in the Alps

In its new 40-page position paper, CIPRA outlines sustainable mobility in the Alpine region with the least possible negative impact of transport on the environment and people. In addition to travel, the paper also addresses commuter traffic, long-distance traffic and freight transport - supplemented with facts, concrete measures and good examples.

Voices along the Via Alpina

The Via Alpina has been connecting people, cultures and landscapes across the Alps for 25 years now. A podcast series tells the story of the project, highlights the challenges and opportunities of long-distance hiking and raises awareness of sustainable tourism in the Alps.

Visiting “Utopias” all over the Alps

In 2024, the Via Alpina Youth project inspired young people across the Alps for social, cultural and everyday utopias of sustainability – but above all for shared adventures in the mountains.

Italy to chair Alpine Convention in 2025

Italy is preparing to chair the Alpine Convention for the period 2025-2026, while Liechtenstein and Austria will co-chair the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) in 2025. Sustainability and cross-border cooperation are the focus of both initiatives.

Yoalin (Youth Alpine Interrail)

Since 2018, 100 to 150 people aged between 18 and 27 were invited to apply for a Yoalin ticket every year. Equipped with an Interrail Global Pass, they are able to discover the Alps in a climate-friendly way using public transport. They also become part of the active community, which is constantly growing.

Webinars for cities and municipalities

Paths to sustainable agriculture

The first Utopia hike organised by the umbrella organisation for nature and environmental protection in its function as CIPRA South Tyrol took place on Wednesday, 7 August 2024. On this occasion, the functioning utopia of organic vegetable cultivation in the Puster Valley was visited on two farms.

10 Key Concepts of the Pastoral economy

Sustainable traffic management, not lawsuits

CIPRA representatives along the transport axis over the Brenner Pass are calling for sustainable traffic management instead of populist grievances. Now Switzerland is facing a renewed increase in traffic.

International Glacier Caravan

Six stages through three Alpine countries: this year’s international campaign by the Italian environmental organisation Legambiente, with the participation of CIPRA, condemned the retreat of the glaciers and thus raised awareness of climate change.

Too much, too loud, too crowded

From the tunnel blockade in Hallstatt/A to the protest rally on the Sella Pass/I: civil society is protesting against overtourism in the Alpine regions – and demanding relief for people and the environment.

Lawsuits and laws for climate protection

Climate protection laws define clear climate targets, but for many the measures set out are insufficient. Climate lawsuits are increasing political pressure in the Alpine countries.