Alps / Europe

The Monitoring Institute for Rare Breeds and Seeds in Europe has just issued the printed version of its publication Agricultural Genetic Resources in the Alps.

An extensive database of the Earth's ground cover and vegetation in 2000 is now available on the Internet (Global Landcover 2000).

Volume 43 of the Münchner Studien zur Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeographie [Munich Studies on Social and Economic Geography] features the findings of a research project on the regional economic significance of alpine national parks.

The first step towards drawing up a Pyrenean Convention was taken at a meeting of government representatives chaired by Catalonia at Puigcerdà/E in July of this year. At the meeting representatives of the regions concerned (Languedoc-Roussillon/F, Midi-Pyrénées/F, Aquitaine/F, Navarre/E, Aragon/E, Basque Country/E, Catalonia/E and Andorra), which form the Pyrenees Working Group (Communauté de Travail des Pyrénées or CTP), drafted a joint declaration, which is now available online in French, Spanish and Catalonian.

The Alpine Environment Department of the European Academy in Bolzano has just published a new work entitled The EU Agricultural Policy and the Environment - Evaluation of the Alpine Region. It looks at the connections between agricultural policy, agriculture and the environment in the Alps, all of which were analysed by an interdisciplinary team of researchers. Key issues raised include: In what alpine regions is the decline of agriculture particularly severe? Where are the centres of tourism located, and which regions have the highest population density?

Together with the European Topic Centre for Nature Protection and Biodiversity (ETC/NPB in Paris/F) and the European Environmental Information Observation Network (EIONET) the European Environmental Agency EEA has just published a new database with information on the protection of nature: EUNIS - European Nature Information System.

The three organisations Association Européenne des Elus de Montagne (AEM), Euromontana and the European Mountain Forum (EMF) have set up a committee of European mountain organisations called CLAME or Comité de liaison des associations de montagnes européennes.

The A13/E43 network has commissioned a study in the border region between Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein with the following basic requirements for the future provision of public passenger transport services: Rail links to the large agglomerations in southern Germany and from the upper Rhine valley to the central areas of southern Germany and western Austria; expansion of the S-Bahn network in the region comprising eastern Switzerland, the eastern area of Lake Constance and the upper Rhine valley; development of tram/suburban railway systems such a half-hourly S-Bahn link between Feldkirch/A and Buchs/CH.

Preparations for the World Ski Championships in the upper Valtellina in 2005 are in upheaval. The projects for the resort of Santa Caterina Valfurva, which is to stage the women's races, have come under attack. Environmental associations believe that as the Santa Caterina Valfurva skiing region is situated in the Stilfserjoch National Park the environmental impact of the projects should be examined particularly thoroughly.

On 24 October 2003 representatives of the seven pilot regions of the EU research project REGALP convened at the Conference of Regions for an exchange of experience at Kranjska Gora/SI.