The Ecological Continuum Project has recently changed its name to The Ecological Continuum Initiative, which better reflects the intentions of the Continuum partners CIPRA, ISCAR, ALPARC and WWF to carry on the own activities in the long term, to support other projects and initiate new ones. The activities of the Continuum partners are not limited in time as it is typical for most projects.
The Continuum partners see the Year of Biodiversity as a great opportunity to position the ecological connectivity topic by the public. That is why important Initiative's activities will focus on media events. The events will take place in all Alpine countries and will make evident the importance of ecological connectivity in the Alps to a wide public.
The other 2010 key elements will be the "Think tank" activities. The think tank is a pool of experts from all Alpine countries who cooperate in result oriented way to develop new connectivity projects in a long- term perspective. The Continuum Initiative will organise three expert workshops. They will be based on the results of the first Think Tank workshop that took place in Chamonix/F in December 2009.
The Continuum partners will strengthen their efforts in providing information services which will be professionalized and carried on in the frame of a "service centre on Alpine ecological networks." This will support the transfer of knowledge and know-how between projects and territorial units.
As the Ecological Continuum Initiative place emphasis on identifying connectivity problems and solutions on the ground, the Continuum partners will prepare in 2010 a series of field trips for pilot regions stakeholders which should be implemented in 2011.