CIPRA is a modern multilingual information platform for the expert and non-expert alike, both in and outside of the Alps. With its fortnightly alpMedia Newsletter, CIPRA communicates news, publications and events from and for all the countries of the Alps. In addition CIPRA publishes in-depth information in its “Alpine Reports”, quarterly information bulletins, numerous dossiers and much else besides. Most publications are available in four languages, namely French, German, Italian and Slovene, and some are also in English.

CIPRA bridges the gap between research and practice: “Disseminating knowledge, networking people” – that is the motto of “Future in the Alps”, a broad-based knowledge-management project run by CIPRA. In the framework of “Future in the Alps”, CIPRA launched an Alpine-wide competition targeted at projects and initiatives with a strong focus on sustainable development. 571 projects were submitted and evaluated by CIPRA. The results have since been published so that a general pool of knowledge and ideas is now available. 

Putting this knowledge into practice is another challenge that CIPRA is responding to in various projects and initiatives. For example, CIPRA is one of the initiators of the Alliance in the Alps local authority network, in which over 260 communities from all the countries of the Alps are now working together to achieve sustainable development at the local level. For CIPRA, it is important that these developments have the support of the local citizenry or even are initiated by them. 

With its Climalp project, CIPRA is promoting the construction of energy-efficient houses in the Alpine space using timber from the region’s forests. CIPRA provides information on the project goals in various publications and also organises excursions and workshops.

With its focus on sustainable development, CIPRA’s objective is to exploit the potential of the Alpine space at many levels and to preserve its cultural and natural diversity. In 1952, the year of the organisation’s foundation, CIPRA accordingly called for the creation of an international agreement for full protection of the Alpine space in the form of the Alpine Convention. After almost forty years and much hard work on the part of CIPRA, this goal was achieved in 1991 when the Ministers of the Environment of the countries of the Alps met in Salzburg to sign the Alpine Convention. Today CIPRA is supporting and monitoring implementation of the Alpine Convention. The organisation has official observer status within the Alpine Convention process, attends the Alpine Conferences and is active in a number of working groups.

CIPRA is pursuing a double strategy: on the one hand a top-down approach with the Alpine Convention, and on the other a bottom-up approach involving various projects, initiatives and networks – so that life in the Alps will continue to be worth living in the future, too!