Alps / Europe

On 13 and 14 December 2003 the Centro Multipolare per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile (multipolar centre for sustainable development) in Sardagna/I organised the 5th International Mountain Conference, with the theme of "Matriarchy and Mountains".

The 52nd International Film Festival on the subject of mountains, research and adventure is to be held in Trento/I, the 2004 Alpine Town of the Year, from 29 April to 9 May. Countries from all over the world are invited to submit films in the following categories: mountain films, films on alpinism, alpine landscape films, research films, sports and adventure films.

Poland ratified the framework convention for the protection and sustainable development of the Carpathians on 25 November.

The Friendship Everest Skyrace was held for the first time in Nepal's Khumbu valley on 18 November. The event's main objective was to support the school in the remote village of Thame, and it attracted 150 competitors from Nepal and all over the world.

According to a new study on the economic repercussions of the climate change on winter sports many low-altitude ski resorts are set to face financial difficulties or even bankruptcy due to global warming. The study was commissioned by the UN Environmental Program and presented at the World Conference on Sport and the Environment in Turin/I on 2 December.

International Mountain Day is to be held worldwide for the first time on December 11. Its motto this year is "Mountains, Source of Freshwater". The UN decided to set up this special day following the resounding success of the International Year of Mountains in 2002.

Over the past few years nature-based winter activities have increased throughout the Alps. More and more these activities are spilling into regions which have hitherto been spared the impact of leisure tourism. In its new brochure entitled "Nature-compatible Winter Tours" the Club Arc Alpin (CAA), the umbrella organisation of the eight alpine associations operating throughout the Alps, offers simple, easy-to-apply tips for winter sports enthusiasts on how to adopt a proactive approach and prevent a negative impact on nature and the landscape.

The "Mountain Group" of the Forestry Department at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has announced a new research project. Between September 2003 and March 2004 examples of good practice from all over the world are to be collated and evaluated, focusing on instances where quality products from mountain regions contribute to strengthening the local economy without impacting on the environment.

China is planning to build a road around the sacred Kailash mountain in Tibet in spring 2004. Surveyor's marks were already placed along the traditional pilgrimage route during the summer. Supporters of the Kailash initiative believe the Kailash mountain can only be genuinely protected if it is officially declared as a site on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

On 29 November Coca-Cola AG inaugurated its Alpen Club Micky Maus in the ski resort of Arosa/CH.