Search results

The new Interreg Project "Gene Save" is to preserve and maintain old local grain, vegetable and apple varieties in southern and northern Tyrol. Seed and planting stock is to be collected, preserved in a gene bank and then re-introduced into cultivation on a wider scale.

On Sundays in summer in the past few years the high plateau in the area of Colle del Nivolet was regularly transformed into a giant car park. However as of this summer the plateau can be reached only on foot, by bicycle or by shuttle bus.

This year's CIPRA annual specialist conference is to address the implementation of the Alpine Convention with a special focus on the issue of (transit) traffic.

The Alliance of Central Asian Mountain Communities, which is modelled on the Alliance in the Alps community network, was founded in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, on June 22. CIPRA played a key role in the founding of the Alliance.

The comprehensive survey into the current situation conducted as part of the "Alpine Rhine Development Concept" is now completed. On July 1 experts presented the results before representatives of local communities, environmentalists, anglers, energy suppliers and other parties with a vested interest. For the first time the groups concerned are able to take part in a planning project within an international framework.

CIPRA has won the "Alp Web Award 2002" in recognition of its www.alpmedia.net web site. The award acknowledges alpMedia as a web site that focuses on mountain issues and complies with the objectives of the UN's Year of the Mountains 2002. The Award was presented by the Cervignano del Friuli Giusto Gervasutti Department of the Italian Alpine Association.

The Declaration on Protected Areas in European Mountain Regions emphasises the significance of biological and geological resources and water reserves in mountain regions. It stresses the necessity of targeted development and conservation measures as well as regional co-operation. Protected areas can serve as an experimental field for the development of conservation measures. Concrete steps proposed for the period 2003-2005 include the creation, in each European massif, of a mountain co-operation committee with representatives of governmental and non-governmental organisations. One of the tasks of the committees is to help disseminate information about models and methods to implement nature conservation and to transfer knowledge from research to improve the management of protected areas and sustainable development. Other important factors include encouraging partnerships, networks and joint projects as well as developing strategies for the active participation of populations.

Tourism needs an intact natural environment, a vibrant cultural life, and a fair partnership between visitors and visited. As an economic sector, tourism is directly dependent on sustainability. The Declaration calls upon the tourism industry, the tourism regions, governments and individual tourists to curb the consumption of natural resources and reduce the burden of traffic caused by tourism traffic. It also calls on tourism to contribute towards eliminating poverty and to implement a sustainable destination and transport policy for the environment.

At the end of June 2002 a conference on international co-operation between the mountain regions of the world was held in Berchtesgaden. The participants at the conference presented ten fundamental principles for regional co-operation. The principles underscore the key responsibility of governments and the need for regional co-operation to ensure the sustainable and proper management of mountain regions. Equal rights, decentralisation and the involvement of resident populations are essential in achieving sustainable development. Measures aimed at establishing cross-border partnerships and networks for the exchange of experience and the dissemination of knowledge are of crucial importance in bringing regional co-operation to life. The Declaration is aimed at governments, the international community, the private sector and NGOs.

The Declaration was adopted by the governments of the member states of the UN Economic Commission for Europe. The states pledge to take steps aimed at reducing the negative impact of transport and traffic on the environment and on health. Energy-efficient and ecological vehicles and fuels as well as efficient and sustainable transport systems are to be encouraged and sensitive regions protected. The UNECE members are also planning to encourage the safe transport of hazardous substances and adopt measures aimed at protecting water resources from pollution. Annexed to the Declaration is a programme with a description of potential measures and solutions in the area of transport and the environment. http://www.unece.org/doc/ece/rcte/ece.rcte.conf..2.final.e.pdf