AlpsLife / 2024-2027

AlpsLife

Protect Alpine Life by monitoring and managing Alpine biodiversity for the future: “Observing globally, acting locally”.

The Alps are a global biodiversity hotspot threatened by climate and land-use change. Additionally, the lack of Alpine-wide coordination reduces the effectiveness of conservation efforts. The main challenge arises from the variety of biodiversity monitoring schemes existing at different levels in different Alpine countries. Coherent ecological indicators are key to defining priority areas and to supporting decision-making processes, enhancing the action of Alpine protected areas.

The AlpsLife project promotes science-based strategies for preserving and restoring Alpine biodiversity. Relying on EU-wide relevant indicators, it combines existing biodiversity monitoring schemes and data sources to ensure the interoperability of results at the Alpine level. The outputs are then checked on the ground, adjusting them to the needs of Alpine protected areas and policymakers. This allows for a better understanding of Alpine biodiversity trends and the implementation of appropriate cross-border management measures.

To achieve its goals, the partnership of AlpsLife involves scientific institutions such as Eurac, the University of Innsbruck and ISPRA; the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (ALPARC); Cipra Lab; Asters, the management organisation of 9 nature reserves in the Mont Blanc area; and six major Alpine national parks (Berchtesgaden, Gesäuse, Gran Paradiso, Stelvio, Swiss and Triglav National Parks).

Overall objective

AlpsLife promotes a common understanding of biodiversity processes at the Alpine level. It establishes a framework to ensure interoperability of different datasets and monitoring schemes in the long term, facilitating cross-national strategies for biodiversity conservation for concrete management measures.

Project Partners:

• Eurac Research (IT, Lead Partner)
• University of Innsbruck (AT)
• ALPARC – the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (FR)
• CIPRA International Lab GmbH (AT)
• ISPRA - Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (IT)
• Berchtesgaden National Park Administration (DE)
• Triglav National Park (SI)
• Gesäuse National Park (AT)
• Asters - Organisation for the conservation of natural areas in Haute-Savoie (FR)
• Gran Paradiso National Park (IT)
• Swiss National Park (CH)
• ERSAF - Stelvio National Park (IT)

Countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland

Goals:

• Enable a better understanding of Alpine biodiversity status and trends.
• Promote science-based approaches for preserving and restoring biodiversity based on alps-wide comparable monitoring results and facilitating transnational strategies for nature conservation.
• Integrate project results into management measures of Alpine protected areas and into the strategies of regional/national stakeholders in the long run.

Activities:

• Creating a set of biodiversity relevant geographical variables at the Alpine level.
• Developing a methodology for the interoperability and comparability of different biodiversity monitoring schemes.
• Elaborating the concept of an “Early Warning System” for Alpine biodiversity.
• Establishing a network of pilot monitoring areas of Alpine biodiversity based on agreed protocols and species indicators.
• Performing a stakeholder and governance analysis for biodiversity monitoring at the Alpine national and macroregional level.
• Creating a tool kit with technical and political recommendations about the interoperability of indicators developed by the project, and their utility to meet multi-level targets.

Target Groups:

• National Park administrations and rangers.
• National and regional public authorities for the environment, agriculture, spatial planning
• Transalpine organisations (Alpine Convention, EUSALP)
• Research institutions and organisations involved in biodiversity monitoring, nature restoration and conservation

Project Duration: September 2024 - August 2027

Total project budget: 2.916.176,40 €

Programme funding: 2.082.132,30 €

More information: AlpsLife website (Interreg Alpine Space Programme)

This project is co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Alpine Space programme, which supports cross-border cooperation projects between seven Alpine countries. ALPARC is co-founded in this project by the German Ministry for the Environment (BMUV).

Contact: Guido Plassmann guido.plassmann@alparc.org - Michelle Geringer michelle.geringer@alparc.org - Pietro Merzi pietro.merzi@alparc.org