Alps / Europe

To mark the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the K2 summit in the Himalayas the Italian Alpine Association is organising several treks to the mountain's base camps. Up to 60,000 people are expected to pass through some of the intermediate camps this year. The problems this causes include the insufficiently rapid degradation of biological waste at high altitude, the pollution of rivers, or damage to the vegetation through the gathering of firewood. A number of expeditions are also to make greater use of helicopters.

There are still a few places left for the Summer Academy organised by the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA). The final deadline for registration, which can be made at www.cipra.org (de/fr/it/sl/en), is 30 June; the web site has details of this training and education event, including the course programme.

Exemplary environmental protection projects from all over the world that are closely linked to tourism are eligible for the International Environment Award. The Award is presented each year by the German Association of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators.

This year the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA), the International Scientific Committee for Alpine Research (ISCAR), the municipality network Alliance in the Alps and the Network of Alpine Protected Areas (Alparc) are organising a joint conference in the form of an "Alpine Week". It is to be held in Kranjska Gora/SI from 22 to 25 September. The conference has elected as its theme: "The Alps of the Coming Generation - From Forecasts to Action".

Very little is known to date about the actual extent of the threat to the Alps caused by persistent highly toxic environmental pollutants, also known as POP chemicals. However initial studies suggest that they do represent a burden on the Alps, especially since POPs tend to deposit in cold areas such as mountain regions.

The European Mountain Forum has launched its new Mediterranean co-ordination agency at Les Planes de Son/E on 16 and 17 June as part of the international conference on "Sustainable Development in Mediterranean Mountain Regions: Past, Present and Future". Its aim is to promote the idea of sustainable development and its implementation in the Mediterranean region, and to raise the awareness of the significance of Mediterranean mountain regions not just among the local population but throughout Europe and the world.

The EU MOMO project, which focuses on applied research benefiting small and medium-sized companies, was recently unveiled in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. Plastic materials for nanotechnology for example are to be developed at the Centre for Technological Innovations in Amaro.

"Our aim with the founding of the Institute for Holiday, Travel and Altitude Medicine at the Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology is to demonstrate and substantiate by medical and scientific means the favourable health effect of a high-altitude holiday. We also intend to establish a form of certification for tourist regions and tourist enterprises," explained Tyrol's Provincial Governor Herwig van Staa at the official presentation of the new Institute in Innsbruck/A.

Films can now be submitted for the Second Himalaya Film Festival, which is to be held at the Cultural Centre of the Free University Amsterdam/Netherlands on 6 and 7 November.

The European Commission recently published the results of a study on the economic and social situation of European mountain areas. The study provides an in-depth analysis of mountain areas in 29 countries in Europe, including the EU Member States, the 10 new Member States and Switzerland.