Search

Young ideas for the Alps!

How can young people actively shape the future of the Alps? The GaYA Conference on 30 November 2018 in Chambéry/F focuses on youth participation and governance.

Ample space for castles in the air

Toni seeks out sources of friction between himself and his surroundings. That includes meeting up with people who have contrasting views to his own and his own living environment. ‘It’s the only way for something new to materialise,’ he explains.

A place of encounter

Living here is a life choice. It’s not a choice Maria Schneider from Germany made herself; rather, she followed her husband Andreas Schneider to Italy some thirty-five years ago. In actual fact, it all began by mistake.

The whale jumper

Hanging inside Gregor Novak’s flat is a whale. Made from an old pullover. That old woolly jumper had become seriously irritating as it had lost its shape and was unwearable. So Gregor scratched his head looking for an idea and then came up with two – in the drawers marked ‘Fabrics’ and ‘Animals’ respectively. He then handcrafted the old jumper into a whale, which now adorns his flat in Liechtenstein.

Nature providing services in the Alps

Whether mountain forests that protect us from avalanches and clean our air, or rivers and alpine pastures that provide us drinking water, energy or nourishment: in the AlpES Project ten partner organisations from six alpine countries have evaluated and documented ecosystem services for the past three years. They will present their results on 21st and 22nd November 2018 at a Final Event in Innsbruck/A. Press representatives are kindly invited to attend.

Inspiration with heart and mind

Sometimes inspiration comes to Franziska Kunze right in the middle of her day. As it did recently when she was at the market and spotted a pig’s heart in the butcher’s window. She knew there and then she’d buy the heart, even though she didn’t yet know how she was going to prepare it.

Ideas like apple trees

Whenever Cristina Dalla Torre gets excited about an idea, she feels she has to tell the whole world about it. She knows how important it is for ideas to get out there and enthuse others. And yet, occasionally, she can be lost for words: ‘This is a good idea, a really good idea. It’s like, you know, …’

‘And… and… and’

Jean Horgues-Debat reserves the right to get it wrong. ‘There is no norm,’ says the 60-year-old engineer. ‘We’re allowed to give it a go, develop, and reject.’

Point of view: Burning with love, not hate

The climate crisis and nationalism are the two greatest threats of our time, says Kaspar Schuler, executive director of CIPRA International since June, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of «Fire across the Alps».

Youth taking action for the Alps

Calling for youth participation, engaging in Alpine policymaking, launching the first Youth Interrail Pass for the Alps: the CIPRA Youth Council is celebrating its fifth anniversary with an impressive record.

Innovative ideas for tourism

Forest cabins that are self-sufficient in energy, mobile ski instructors, taking a break in an empty second home or glamping down on the farm: CIPRA Switzerland’s «Innovation Generator» is supporting the start-up of four tourism projects.

Building – a bottomless pit?

Whether it is a question of major projects or infrastructure developments in protected areas – Alpine countries such as Austria and Switzerland cannot build quickly or easily enough.

UrbaBio

[Project completed] In the project UrbaBio, representatives of the participating Alpine Towns of Annecy, Belluno, Chambéry and Trento drew on each other's broad pool of knowledge to promote biodiversity in the city.

Mountain Research and Development Vol 38, No 2 available online and open access

Papers explore self-governed small-scale irrigation in Tajikistan; how Kenyan commercial horticulture affects water resources; the impact of extensive grazing on forest soils in Mexico; how mining restoration measures influence vegetation in Peru; human impact on vascular plants in Ethiopia; the impact of climate change on treelines in Nepal; and how climate warming affects snow availability in a ski area in New Hampshire, USA.

Living Labs

[Project completed] The project “Living Labs” brought together people of different ages from different Alpine countries to work together on process and know-how on selected topics. The project approach was participative and based on the principles of co-creation between young talents aged 18-30 years, environmental NGOs, civil society and politicians. The participants of this intergenerational project are committed to the sustainable development of the Alps at local, national and international level. For a desirable future it is important to set the right course today and to talk about how existing natural resources can be used sustainably.

Involving youth: But how?

Once politicians agree on the importance of young people for the future of the Alps and the need for their inclusion in decision-making processes, the question arises: How? How do we engage them in a productive and effective way? To answer these questions, GaYA's Youth Participation Toolbox was created by eight partners from five Alpine countries.

Youth participation – but how?

More youth participation in the Alps is the aim – but the process is often slow to take shape in cities and towns. The “Toolbox for Youth Participation”, produced by the GaYA project, offers help in starting up.

Fire and flames across the Alps

On 11 August 2018 the “Fire across the Alps” will be lighting up peaks and valleys for the thirtieth time. The idea behind the anniversary fires is to draw attention to climate change.

Alpine Convention against the Alemagna motorway

In recent years there have been several attempts to reintroduce the Alemagna motorway from Venice to Munich onto the European agenda. The Permanent Committee of the Alpine Convention has now adopted a resolution against this new transalpine motorway.

Then there were two...

After the rejection by the Swiss city of Sion, there remain just two candidates in the Alps for the 2026 Winter Olympics. But here too the final word has yet to be spoken. (Update: Two days after the publication of our newsletter, the city of Graz/A has also dropped out as a candidate for the 2026 Olympics. The Austrian Olympic Committee withdrew. This leaves only one Olympic candidature from the Alps.)

Sustainable Alpine Tourism

[Project completed] Sustainable tourism in the Alps is the only long-term alternative to conventional mass tourism in order to safeguard the habitat for nature and people. So far, however, there is a lack of jointly defined framework conditions on anational or alpine level for planning, promoting and implementing sustainable tourism.

JobMail

With JobMail CIPRA International informs you at irregular intervals about vacancies in organizations and institutions, which work in the field of protection and sustainable development in the Alps. JobMail does not consider any specific language, it is sent via eMail and free of charge.

Newsletter alpMedia

Concise, relevant, all over the Alps: In its monthly newsletter alpMedia CIPRA informs about the primary topics from the Alps. It presents selected events, CIPRA’s point of view and an amusing fun facts. AlpMedia is published in German, French, Italian and Slovenian. Every two months, there is a best-of in English. With over 16'000 subscribers alpMedia is one of the most widely read newsletters about the Alps.

Alpine Convention reaffirms opposition to new Alpine motorways

In recent years there have been several attempts by regions to reintroduce the Alemagna motorway from Venice to Munich onto the European agenda. At the suggestion of CIPRA, on 13 and 14 June the Permanent Committee of the Alpine Convention unanimously expressed its opposition to this new Alpine motorway.

Data protection

Tourism: two sides of the same coin

Caught between the difficulties of growth and the quest for sustainability, tourism has a polarising effect. At the end of May 2018 over 200 participants at a conference in Bled, Slovenia discussed how Alpine tourism and the quality of life can complement one another. The event was staged by CIPRA together with the “Alliance in the Alps”.

Point of view: The tourism dilemma

Travel threatens the very values upon which tourism in the Alps depends, creating a real dilemma. Sustainable mobility in tourism is not simply a competitive advantage, but a “must”, states Barbara Wülser, deputy director of CIPRA International.

New strength for the Alps

In June 2018 Kaspar Schuler took over the leadership of CIPRA International, based in Schaan, Liechtenstein, with changes also made to the executive board.

Wolves: we need to debate values openly

No animal can match the wolf when it comes to media attention. Sensation often obscures our view of the essential. Various initiatives in the Alpine region are dedicated to improving the image of the wolf.

Strange but true...