AlpsLife – observe globally, act locally

Image caption:

The Stelvio National Park in Italy is one of the protected areas participating in the AlpsLife project. (c) Michael Gams

The Alps are a biodiversity hotspot in the heart of Europe. The climate crisis and ever more intensive utilisation demands are threatening their unique flora and fauna, while inadequate Alpine-wide coordination and cooperation are hampering the effectiveness of current and future conservation efforts. The biggest challenge is that there are different systems for monitoring biodiversity in the various Alpine countries. Ecological indicators are an important tool for identifying priority areas for restoration or conservation measures and for supporting policy decisions. Based on existing EU indicators for conservation or restoration measures, the AlpsLife project identifies suitable indicators for the Alpine region and tests them in practice: they are then adapted to the political needs of the Alpine countries. Research teams from EURAC, the University of Innsbruck and the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) are working on this project, along with the Alpine Network of Protected Areas ALPARC, CIPRA Lab and protected areas from various Alpine countries.

CIPRA Lab moderates the project at the interface between science, politics and practice in order to ensure Alpine-wide biodiversity management.

Full project name

AlpsLife: Protect Alpine Life by monitoring and managing Alpine biodiversity for the future. “Observing globally, acting locally.”

Project objectives

• Priority areas for restoration or conservation measures in the Alps are identified.
• Policymakers have been and will be supported in their decision-making to improve the long-term implementation and utilisation of AlpsLife results.
• AlpsLife contributes to the objectives of the Biodiversity Action Plan defined by the Biodiversity Council of the Alpine Convention through inter-country and inter-agency coordination at EU, Alpine, national and regional levels.

Activities

• Identify individual comparable indicators for long-term protection for specific areas and/or ecological restoration measures.
• Transfer existing EU indicators to the Alps to create a common understanding of the conservation status of Alpine biodiversity.
• Test the selected indicators in practice
• Ensure coherence with the policy needs of the Alpine countries

Duration

01.09.2024 – 31.08.2027

Project partners

• EURAC Research Centre, Bolzano/I
• University of Innsbruck/A
• ALPARC – Alpine Network of Protected Areas ALPARC
• ISPRA – Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research/I
• Berchtesgaden National Park/D
• Triglav National Park/SL
• Gesäuse National Park/A
• Asters Nature Reserve/F
• Gran Paradiso National Park/I
• Swiss National Park/CH
• Stelvio National Park/I

Project languages

English and Alpine languages

Contact

Jakob Dietachmair, CIPRA Lab, [email protected]

Project funding

Total budget: € 2,916,176.40

Interreg funding: € 2,082,132.30

The project is part of the Interreg Alpine Space Programme. The Interreg Alpine Space Programme co-finances and supports cooperation projects across the borders of seven Alpine countries. This project is also co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV).