Le Réseau Alpin des Espaces Protégés
The prior aim of the project is to make mountains accessible to all and the youngsters come from the local valleys or from cities.For them, it’s the opportunity to have a singular experience (often the first!) of night at high altitude, as a group; to re-engage with mountains through their emotion, observation, play, encounters, imagination, dreams or expression.This collective adventure, occurring simultaneously in different countries, also awakens the feeling of belonging to a common mountain range, to the Alps or to the Carpathians.To this end, the project draws on values common to education and mountains.
Taking part is…
For the organiser: "It brings three-fold satisfaction:1/ revealing this mountain nature to young people on an original occasion (a night walk with sunrise) 2/ the pleasure of hearing them talking about the experience; their feedback is a gift 3/ the pleasure of sharing this experience with them!"- Fug'en Cimes, Christophe Delahaye, 2016
For the youngsters: "it’s great!", "… a really awesome way to discover the Alps", "… a magnificent experience", "… a different way of getting out in the mountains", etc.
The 2016 edition brought together more than 500 young people and 150 adults in various countries.
• Read the 2016 press release • Watch the 2016 mini-video • Discover the details of the 2016 events
R
egister !
The projects are (co-) run by the Alpine protected areas, youth workers, associations, refuges, communities, young independent adults, etc., with the participation of local professionals.Registration is open for the 11th to 12th July edition in the Alps and in the Carpathians.
Simply fill in the online form at: http://www.youth-at-the-top.org/en/register before 12th April 2017.
Filling in the form does not commit you in any way; it simply says you are motivated to take part in the 2017 edition. Participation is free of charge; some expenses may be covered (subject to certain conditions). Don’t hesitate to contact the organisers for details and support.
New in 2017
For the 2017 edition all the organisers of the “Youth at the Top” event will be given a free copy of the “The Alps in my Backpack” teaching tool. Please ask for this when you register on line (terms of availability and distribution in the form).
•See the detailed project-sheet : http://www.youth-at-the-top.org/en/news/item/134-what-is-youth-at-the-top
For any further information, please contact : letizia.arneodo@alparc.org or info@alparc.org
This project is supported by the German Ministry of Environment and the Principality of Monaco.
"Life needs connectivity- Three love stories" (3 video clips) & "Life needs connectivity - Beyond mountains" (1 video clip)
Ecological connectivity is needed on land, under water and in the air to safeguard biodiversity for future generations.
Have a look at these 4 video clips below or on our YouTube channel.
SUBMIT YOUR SESSION CONTRIBUTION NOW!
National Parks Austria & Hohe Tauern National Park are pleased to invite you to present your latest protected areas research at the 6th International Symposium for Research in Protected Areas, 2-4 November 2017. The symposium will be held at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Salzburg, Austria.
Call for contributions :
We invite you to submit presentations for the themed sessions listed below. Please enter your session contribution no later than 13 March 2017 online on www.nationalparksaustria.at/symposium2017.
You may only select one theme. Please state if you are prepared to present a poster instead of a presentation. Oral presentations and posters are equally presented in the conference program as well as in the conference volume. There will also be a poster award for the three best posters.
Following a review, the organizers will decide on the conference programme which will be finalized by the end of June 2017.
SESSION THEMES :
Parks & People
a) Park objectives in transformation: What are parks for and why do we want them?
b) Integrated planning and management policies
c) Zoning in strategic planning and management of protected areas and their surroundings
d) Parks and people - reconciling park management with local and regional development
Parks & land use
e) Sustainable agriculture in protected areas
f) Protected areas governance and ecosystem services
g) Protected areas' landscapes as resources for human health and well-being
h) Protected forest areas - lessons learned from long-term research
Parks & management
i) Progress in long-term research and monitoring
j) Managing wildlife in and around protected areas
k) Conservation conflicts in protected areas
l) Human-wildlife conflict management and resolution
m) Bridging science and management in protected areas
Parks & biodiversity
n) Biodiversity shifts in a changing climate
o) Endemic species - a neglected biodiversity treasure
p) Biodiversity - conservation in protected areas
q) Wilderness and process dynamics
r) Ecological connectivity
Parks & water
s) Alpine headwaters and lakes
t) Fluvial landscapes in protected areas
u) The cryosphere in a warming climate
Please note :
Conference language will be English. There will be no refunding of costs for travelling, accommodation and meals that are not included in the conference. We are unable to award grants.
For further information, please find attached the Factsheet.
We are looking forward to receiving your proposals of themed sessions for the 6th International Symposium for Research in Protected Areas 2017 in Salzburg!
The Association „Alpine Town of the Year“ is looking for an external consultant to implement its communication activities in the frame of the Interreg Alpine Space Project GaYA. If you are interested in submitting an offer, and wish to receive more information, please contact claire.simon@alpenstaedte.org by February 20th.
Save the date!
„The Wolf in the alpine cultural landscape – chances and challenges”
(„Der Wolf in der alpinen Kulturlandschaft – Chancen und Herausforderungen“)
16 – 18 May 2017 in Sölk, Sölktäler Nature Park (Styria – Austria)
16th of May - Exhibition “The comeback of the wolf” in the castle of Großsölk
17th of May – Conference Day and public event
18th of May – Workshops and excursion
The meeting allows an exchange between experts of the alpine countries and the alpine protected areas concerning current experiences on the management of the wolf.
A detailed programme will follow soon.
Please reserve the date for your participation !
Martedì 7 febbraio 2017 alle ore 15.30 presso l'Aula Magna dell'Università della Montagna a Edolo, Alessandro Meinardi - Direttore Parco dello Stelvio - Lombardia - terrà il seminario "Il Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio come volano di sviluppo del territorio?".
More info at http://www.unimontagna.it/en
This 2017 leaflet presents the ALPARC network, values and fields of work.
"The Alps in my backpack” a multifunctional pedagogical tool for activities linked to the Alps, mountain heritage and protected alpine areas is available for you!
“The Alps in my backpack” is a big sheet, measuring 240 x 150 cm and printed on a durable fabric. It shows the map of the Alps and all their principal protected nature reserves. Moreover, it presents the diversity of Alpine landscapes, emblematic species, the creation of the Alps, cultural and linguistic diversity, and current issues in the Alpine territory.
The tool has been created collectively by members of the “Mountain environmental education in Alpine protected areas” working group, which had long wanted to benefit from a simple and practical shared tool during their activities, for addressing alpine issues in their global dimension, beyond the usual boundaries.
As part of the 2017 edition of “Youth at the top”, rangers, animators and educators will be invited to use(s) the “Alps in my backpack” tool.
Please notice that 3 copies of the “Alps in my backpack" tool are available for free for all the ALPARC members.
To obtain one or more copies of this tool, please contact info [at] alparc.org
Coordination: ALPARC
Concept and content: ALPARC and Mountain Environmental Education working group
Cartographic data: SIG ALPARC 2016
Graphic design: Régis Ferré
Co-financed by the German Ministry for the Environment and the Principality of Monaco
The fifth General Assembly was held on January 27 2017 in Admont, traditionally within the context of the yearly Memorial Danilo Re (22nd edition) which took place in the Gesäuse National park (AT). The Memorial and General Assembly coincided with the 15th anniversary of the Gesäuse national park and with the start of the Alpine Convention presidency for Austria.
23 of the network’s members were present at the assembly, which validated the official reports of the president, treasurer and director for 2016. The members agreed that 2016 was a very successful year for Alparc, notably with the assignment of three Interreg Alpine Space projects. You can read the full 2016 activity report here in all Alpine languages.
The 2017 General Assembly elected as well a new Alparc board and council. Michael Vogel was designated Alparc interim president until July 2017 in order to prepare the mission of a new president. Therefore, and in recognition of his long-lasting efforts and merits for ALPARC, the General Assembly appointed him Honorary President of Alparc. ALPARC is particularly grateful to the outgoing board and council members for their efforts and work during their mandates. We warmly welcome the new members of the ALPARC board and council and look forward to a good and fruitful collaboration in the next four years. You find a list of the newly elected board and council below.
The General Assembly also agreed on a 4-year pilot project for a more decentralized management of the ALPARC activities, with a first support platform in the Nagelfluhkette nature park. This step should reinforce the links to smaller protected area management structures and use synergies with the Alliance in the Alps network of municipalities (AIDA).
The accomplishment of the 2016-2017 working programme is well advanced. In 2017, the activities of the Alparc coordination unit will focus on project implementation, especially on AlpBioNet2030 (lead partner, Interreg Alpine Space), YourAlps (lead partner, Interreg Alpine Space), GaYA (partner, Interreg Apine Space) and the projects GreenConnect, Youth at the Top and WeWild.
ALPARC Board (2017- 2021)
Interim-president Michael Vogel, Director Berchtesgaden National park (DE)
Vice president Christian Schwoehrer, Director ASTERS (FR)
Vice president Paolo Salsotto, President Regional park Alpi Marittime (IT)
Secretary General Peter Oggier, Director Pfyn-Finges Regional nature park (CH)
Treasurer Peter Rupitsch, Director Hohe Tauern National park (Carinthia, AT)
ALPARC Council (2017- 2021)
FRANCE (4 seats + 2 seats for the financing member regions)
- Christian Schwoehrer (ASTERS)
- Pierre Commenville (Les Ecrins, NP)
- Gilberte Bremond (Les Baronnies provençales, PNR)
- Eva Aliacar (Vanoise, NP)
- Marc Joanny (Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur)
- Geneviève Borodine – sous réserve - (Région Auvergne Rhône-Alpes)
ITALY (4 seats)
- Andrea Bertrame (President, Prealpe Giulie, NatP)
- Claudio La Ragione (Orobie Valtelinesi, NatP)
- Maria Margareth Pallhuber (Naturparks Alto Adige)
- Paolo Salsotto (President, Alpi Marittime, NatP)
AUSTRIA (3 seats)
- Erich Mayrhofer (Kalkalpen, NP)
- Peter Rupitsch (Hohe Tauern, NP)
- Franz Handler (VNÖ – Federation of Austrian Nature Parks)
SWITZERLAND (2 seats)
- Peter Oggier (Pfyn-Finges, NatP)
- Christian Stauffer (Network Swiss Parks)
SLOVENIA (1 seat)
- Andre Arih (Triglav, NP)
GERMANY (1 seat)
- Michael Vogel (ad-interim, Berchtesgaden, NP)
Liechtenstein (1 seat)
- Helmut Kindle (Ministry)
Monaco (1 seat)
- Astrid Claudel-Rusin (Ministry)
ALPARC Staff
- Dominik Cremer-Schulte
During our international workshop “Wildlife and winter sport activities” in the Bauges regional nature park in March 2016, the participants have expressed a strong wish to elaborate a common communication strategy. In the frame of the project WeWild - We respect Alpine wildlife -, ALPARC aims at developing – for the protected areas of the Alps –a joint communication strategy and awareness-raising tools in order to reduce the impact of winter sport practitioners on wildlife in the Alps. The aim of the project is to send out a joint awareness-raising message to winter outdoor practitioners in the Alps in order to give greater momentum to local and regional initiatives.
Alparc coordinates the project and pursues a participatory approach, involving protected area staff and other stakeholders. A first workshop will take place in March 23 and 24 in Vorarlberg (AT). The aim of this first meeting is share experiences in awareness-raising campaigns and to elaborate the contents of the joint strategy (see programme attached). A second workshop will take place in November 2017 in the Italian Alps (to be confirmed). The workshop is open to experts from the Alpine protected areas and other stakeholders, such as Alpine clubs, environmental NGOs and regional governments.
The project will also develop awareness-raising tools that are free to use and share (available from January 2018). The project will use partnerships with the private sector, festivals and sporting events to disseminate the tools and to implement the communication strategy in the medium run. A final conference in November 2018 will bring further momentum to our initiative, presenting the results and gathering a large number of Alpine stakeholders around the topic.
The project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUB). For more information and in order to register for the workshop, please contact us directly.
ALPARC project coordinator: Dominik Cremer-Schulte | dominik.cremer-schulte@alparc.org
Website: www.alparc.org/wewild
A shared observation: there is a lack of contact between young people and the Alps
Worldwide, specialists diagnose a lack of contact from young people to their living space. Among Alpine youth, it leads also to the dying out of Alpine identity and mountain-related know-how. The young people of the Alps, among whom there is little awareness of the values and opportunities offered by the natural and cultural heritage of the Alps, are finding it difficult to settle in mountain areas on a long-term basis.
There is therefore unquestionably an urgent need for young people to be better informed and made more aware of their Alpine heritage, including of what it can offer them in terms of economic and social opportunities.
YOUrALPS tackles the challenge to raise Youth awareness on Alpine heritage
The aims of the INTERREG Alpine Space YOUrALPS project (2016-2019) are to give structure to the field of mountain education throughout the Alps and incorporate the values and knowledge of mountains and the Alps more fully in practices but also in educational curricula and syllabuses.
YOUrALPS includes several actions. It’s about identifying, interconnecting and involving the various players scattered over the Alpine territory in a transalpine network which will promote exchanges, synergies and cooperation in this field. A participative webplatform will be one of the tools of this network.
An analysis of the experiences and good practices in mountain environment education throughout the Alps, (including an in-depth study of the political strategies of each country in this field) will be presented in a comparative report. It will include recommendations and will be distributed among the decision-makers of each country. Thanks to exchanges, training, workshops and trials in pilot sites it will be possible to create an "Alpine school model". The model will also be completed by a toolbox of teaching resources linked to Alpine heritage.
The project has direct and long-term impacts
The Alpine School model will directly benefit the students, educators and decision-makers involved, as well as the future generations of pupils. Decision makers will have at their disposal a transferable model. YOUrALPS will create new opportunities for youth and increase their empowerment and engagement in the Alpine territory, to better shape their future.
January 2017 – The project is launched
On 18th and 19th January, the kick-off meeting brought together in Chambéry (Fr) 41 participants, coming from 6 Alpine countries (13 project partners, 25 observers and the representatives of the Alpine Space programme).
Thanks to this meeting the partners were able to get to know each other better and to appropriate the general context of the YOUrALPS project and the Alpine Space programme. A workshop was held on this occasion to build common references on mountain education. Two other working periods resulted in the laying down of the basis for a future international network and the webplatform associated with it. The atmosphere was warm and constructive, a good foundation for this ambitious 3-year project.
The next Project Steering Committee meeting is planned for July in Slovenia.
The YOUrALPS Project is financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Interreg – Alpine Space programme
The 13 project partners
