Recommendations to the governments of all mountainous countries, the United Nations organisations, the contracting parties of the Alpine Convention, civil society, international organisations, the Mountain Partnership and its members and other bodies involved in the sustainable development of mountain regions
The Alps are Europe’s tallest and most remarkable mountain ridge extending across the continent in the shape of a 1,200 km-long arch 150 to 250 km wide. From the Bay of Genoa, its beginning or end, it incorporates seven different countries (France, Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia). In total the alpine landscape extends across some 220,000 sqkm.
The Alpine region is particularly affected by global climate changes, many of which are the result of man's impact. The Alps are a particularly sensitive region and are affected all the more by the forecast changes such as the rise in annual average temperatures, the increase in extreme meteorological events, summer droughts and melting glaciers. It is CIPRA's view that climate change represents one of the 21st century's greatest challenges. Given the above it calls upon the European Union, the bodies of the Alpine Convention, all the Alpine states, the federal provinces, regions and cantons as well as all governmental and non-governmental authorities to intensify their climate protection efforts in order to reduce the greenhouse effect and to draw up sustainable strategies for dealing with the growing repercussions of climate change.
Since 1995, the year of the endorsement of the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy, the political attention for the development and establishment of the Pan-European Ecological Network has increased considerably. The Pan-European Ecological Network highlights a visionary approach to the conservation of biodiversity in Europe. It strives for a Europe where nature.
These proceedings provide a technical record of the process undertaken in defining the biodiversity vision for the Alps. The brochure The Alps: a unique natural heritage (WWF European Alpine Programme 2004) presented a reader-friendly summary of our results on priority areas; this report covers both priority areas and connection areas (macro-corridors) and presents the detailed information needed by those who are interested in the technical aspects of the process.
Dans le cadre de la Présidence Française de l’Union européenne, l’Association européenne des élus de montagne (AEM) et la Région Midi-Pyrénées avec l’appui de l’ANEM, de l’ADEFPO, de la Confédération Pyrénéenne du Tourisme, du Commissariat et du Comité de massif des Pyrénées, organisent à Toulouse le 6 novembre 2008 au siège du Conseil régional Midi-Pyrénées une conférence européenne sur le thème : « Innovation, croissance et emploi : quelle compétitivité pour les régions de montagne ? ».
Reducing energy consumption and eliminating wastage are among the main goals of the European Union (EU). EU support for improving energy efficiency will prove decisive for European economic recovery and competitiveness, security of supply and for meeting the commitments on climate change made under the Kyoto protocol whilst at the same time contributing to an improved level of comfort and lower energy bills for citizens. There is significant potential for reducing consumption. With 40% of our energy consumed in buildings, the EU has introduced legal other support measures to ensure that they consume less energy. A key part of the legislation is the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 2002/91/EC which aims to promote cost-effective improvement of the overall energy performance of buildings,while taking into account local conditions and requirements. The Directive provides for a holistic approach on energy performance of buildings and covers the energy needs for space and hot water heating, cooling and lighting. The Directive sets the basic principles and requirements and leaves significant room for Member States to establish the concrete mechanisms and numeric requirements and ways to implement them. The EPBD is a great opportunity to mobilise energy efficiency in EU buildings, but also a formidable and continuing challenge for many EU countries.
This report was prepared by the European Environment Agency's European Topic Centre for Air and Climate Change (ETC/ACC). The European Union has ambitious targets in the field of environment and energy policy. The new 'climate-energy legislative package' sets mandatory national target corresponding to a 20 % share of renewable energies in overall Community energy consumption by 2020 and a mandatory 10 % minimum target to be achieved by all Member States for the share of renewable energy in transport consumption by 2020.
Vom 17. - 19. September 2009 haben mehr als 170 Fachleute, Praktiker und Studenten aus 12 Nationen am 4. Symposium zur Forschung in, für und über Schutzgebiete des Nationalparks Hohe Tauern auf der Burg Kaprun, Salzburg, Österreich, teilgenommen. 40 Wissenschaftler gestalteten das diesjährige Vortragsprogramm. 59 Fachposter gaben einen guten Überblick zu aktuellen Forschungsprojekten und Konzepten. Vier Fachexkursionen rundeten das Angebot ab.
This thematic brochure was elaborated in the framework of the cooperation project with the CNPA, as a result of the international colloquium "Large carnivores: management, research and public relation strategies of the protected areas" in the Nizke Tatry National Park / Slovakia (2nd - 4th July 2009).
Spanning the centre of continental Europe, the Alps play a crucial role in accumulating and supplying water to the continent. As such, they deliver vital ecosystem services both within and beyond the region, underpinning social and economic wellbeing in vast lowland areas. Troublingly, the alpine climate has changed significantly during the past century, with temperatures increasing more than twice the global average. Drawing on the most recent knowledge of climate change impacts in the Alps and experiences across the region, this report analyses the risks that climate change presents to the region's water supply and quality, identifying needs, constraints, opportunities, policy levers and options for adaptation. It extracts policy guidance on adaptation practice and aims to assist regional and local stakeholders in developing robust adaptation strategies.
This catalogue of measures has been elaborated in the frame of the Ecological Continuum Initiative. It lists a number of exemplary measures from the various Alpine countries that can contribute to the implementation of ecological networks. The Measures Catalgue is also available as an interactive online version on: http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/measurescatalogue. Nature protection in protected areas alone is not sufficient for the long-term conservation of Alpine biodiversity. Successful nature protection and the associated conservation of biodiversity require ecologically compatible action across the entire space, particularly outside protected areas. The landscape can be enhanced through targeted measures and support programmes which focus on nature conservation. These can contribute to the implementation of an ecological network by facilitating the connectivity of habitats and protected areas.
Within the Continuum Project (pre-project July 2007-December 2008, see page 2), four aspects considering the planning and implementation of ecological networks in Alpine space have been deepened: The evaluation and assessment of existing approaches (Work package A ; WPA), the listing and description of existing measures (Work package B), first elements for communication on ecological networks and mobilisation of stakeholders in appropriate pilot regions (Wok package C) and preparing future projects on ecological networks (Work package D). See: http://www.alpineecological- network.org This report summarizes the results of Wok package A, aiming at an overview on existing approaches and an assessment in view of their application in Alpine space and in pilot regions.
A good overview of the main mountain film festivals in the Alps is provided by a new brochure on "Mountain Film Festivals in the Alps" published by the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention. The brochure includes fifteen film festivals, many of which were involved in founding the International Alliance for Mountain Film in 2000 as a platform for promoting the members' respective events. In addition to a short historical introduction, the brochure lists the themes, special features and supporting programmes of the various film festivals. The purpose of the compilation is to stress the common cultural identity of the Alpine space beyond all national borders. "As an element of the rich cultural heritage of the Alps, film festivals attract thousands of people and in so doing play a key role in cultural exchange and dissemination," says Marco Onida, Secretary General of the Alpine Convention, in the foreword to the brochure.