AlpWeek is jointly organised every four years by the Alpine organisations that are committed to sustainable regional development. As an intermediate first step, on 3 and 4 April an “AlpWeek Intermezzo” was held in Innsbruck, simultaneously with the XV Alpine Conference and the end of the Austrian presidency of the Alpine Convention. The first day saw around 60 participants formulating demands that were presented to the environment ministers of the Alpine countries. They addressed the three issues of land-use and landscape, climate change and mobility.

In his speech to the Alpine ministers, Kaspar Schuler, Co-director of CIPRA International, emphasised the responsibility of policymakers: “Those of us who work to protect the Alps are duty-bound to support the 100,000 young people who, in the past weeks, have taken to the streets to demonstrate in favour of climate protection in the towns and cities of the Alps.”

On the second day of the “AlpWeek Intermezzo”, which was open to the public, the presentation by Tyrolean photographer Lois Hechenblaikner cast a critical eye over current developments in Alpine tourism. Natael Fautrat from Chambéry sketched a vision for the future of the Alps from the perspective of youth. The rest of the day was devoted to good ideas, with presentations and market stalls inviting participants to discuss initiatives that had already been implemented in the Alpine region.

Sources and further information: www.alpweek.org, www.cipra.org/en/media-releases