CIPRA is a networker. Also when it comes to nature conservation. It brings officials, local authorities and scientists together, regardless of national borders. And its 2009 Annual Report entitled Biodiversity in the Alps explains how. There’s also a lot more to find out about in the collection of stories from across the Alpine arc. “If you want to get two farmers to sit down at a table and talk, you’ll have to slay one of them first.” So says rather forbiddingly Josef Hohenwarter, mayor of Weissbach/A. But in fact, all’s well that ends well. Thanks to Josef Hohenwarter and Michael Vogel, Director of the Berchtesgaden National Park/D, the farmers from the region of Berchtesgaden-Salzburg did eventually sit around a table together – not only that, they did so along with local authority representatives, land owners, the forestry commission and environmental associations. Together they smoothed the way for a networked approach to nature conservation, allowing the local fauna and flora to migrate between protected areas. You can read all about this story of the Econnect project and the Ecological Continuum Initiative in the 2009 Annual Report entitled Biodiversity in the Alps published by CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps. CIPRA plays a key role in both these activities as well as in many other efforts aimed at preserving the rich diversity of flora and fauna and achieving sustainable development in the Alpine region. The umbrella organisation also benefits from the fact that it has national representatives in all the Alpine states and a total of around 100 active member associations.

CIPRA as a seismograph for the Alps
What’s afoot in the Alps? What motivates CIPRA? CIPRA International’s Annual Report not only provides an insight into the work of the Liechtenstein-based NGO, but like a seismograph it also picks up on all the issues that send tremors through the Alps. In 2009, besides biodiversity, those issues included climate change and the financial and economic crisis. With its international conference in Gamprin/FL entitled Growth come hell or high water? The Alps in search of happiness CIPRA was once again true to its role as trendsetter and debate initiator. With its holistic approach it is used to addressing all sorts of people and bridging all sorts of gaps in the process, too. The watchword is learning from one another and benefiting from the experience of others. So that the Alps
are also well equipped for the challenges to come. The Annual Report can be downloaded at:
www.cipra.org/en/CIPRA/cipra-international
Printable press photos are available at:
www.cipra.org/en/press/press-releases