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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.

Media coverage of Milano-Cortina 2026

Selected media reports on the 2026 Winter Olympics – CIPRA as a committed voice for sustainable Alpine policy.

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.

Experiencing the melting of glaciers

By 2100, only 12 per cent of today’s glaciers will remain in the Alps. In the webinar kicking off the Erasmus+ project “Young Glacier Voices”, glacier experts talked about the disappearing ice.

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.

Webinar "A focus on certifications as a tool for municipalities to improve quality of life"

Tuesday 3rd of March, 10:00-12:00: a focus on certifications as a tool for municipalities to improve quality of life. Municipalities will be invited to speak about their local practices. The seminar will only be held in English.

Webinar “An introduction to Quality of life as a compass for good governance”

The Interreg Alpine Space project GOVQoL - Empowering local governance of Alpine communities for a better quality of life is pleased to invite you to a series of online seminars we will be organising in February and March 2026! The GOVQoL project is a transnational cooperation project aiming at supporting local communities in improving their governance in the field of quality of life. To reach this objective, GOVQoL conducts several activities such as identifying governance gaps in the Alps, supporting 10 pilot communities in writing their roadmap to improve local governance of quality of life, editing a practical handbook on how to reach this ojective (including lots of good practices!) and ... online seminars to foster Alpine-wide exchange and cooperation. This project stems from the results of the 10th report on the State of the Alps, published in 2025 by the Alpine Convention.

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.

The Alps: More than just a playground

After two decades of being staged on other continents, the Olympic Games are returning to the Alps in 2026 with a commitment to “sustainable games” – a promise that has already been broken several times in the run-up to the event. In its new position paper, CIPRA calls for comprehensive reforms from both the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the host 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.

Hiking as an act of research and environmental responsibility

Connecting young people to alpine environments through research and practical activities

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.

Renovation Days

The leading event dedicated to innovative approaches in the renovation of the built environment

A journey to the heart of the glaciers

The Glacier Caravan 2025 visited eight icy giants in Italy, Switzerland and Germany, calling for concrete action on climate change. The international campaign is backed by Legambiente, CIPRA Italy and the Italian Glaciological Committee.

Going underground? One tunnel breakthrough, numerous question marks

On 18 September 2025, politicians from Austria and Italy celebrated the breakthrough of the Brenner Base Tunnel between Austria and Italy. They dream of “smooth traffic” through and over the Alps – but many questions remain unanswered.

Open Letter: Protect the Alps from Excessive Transit Traffic

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

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.

Trento Film Festival

The Trento Film Festival is one of the oldest italian film festivals still in operation.

Relevance of quality of life for local governance

The position paper lays the ground for the future work of the GOVQoL project, the full title Empowering local governance of Alpine communities for a better quality of life. The paper was prepared to assure common understanding of the quality of life, elaborate the relationship between the quality of life and local governance, and emphasise why this relationship should be further strengthened. The position paper lays the ground for the future work of the GOVQoL project, the full title Empowering local governance of Alpine communities for a better quality of life. The paper was prepared to assure common understanding of the quality of life, elaborate the relationship between the quality of life and local governance, and emphasise why this relationship should be further strengthened.

Walking the Line: A Borderless Utopia on the Egger Alm

A group of young hikers and their mentors—many languages and nationalities—discovering how history, nature, and community intersect along a line drawn on a map.

Young Glacier Voices

The glaciers in the Alps are melting at an ever-increasing rate. The Erasmus+ project “Young Glacier Voices” is making the consequences of the climate crisis tangible and encouraging young people to use their voices to call for more climate protection.

"Water and Alpine landscapes in times of climate crisis" - 2nd Landscape Conference

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.