The creation of new protected areas, the establishment of regional parks in Switzerland and projects in the field of the the alpine continuum – you might think that the nature protection and the sustainable development in the Alps is going in the right direction. Unfortunatly,the reality is more complex; many protected areas are strongly financially limited, funds for the environmental protection are difficult to obtain.

ALPARC tries, in these difficult period, to support the protected areas with different far-reaching projects in the field of communication as for example with the Multivision project and as well in ongoing to create a transalpine ecological network.
You can find the latest projects and news in this newsletter in accordance with our main slogan: Alpine protected areas - Together for the Alps!

The subject is of great topical interest: how can we assure a larger effectiveness of the alpine protected areas’ management measures? How can we monitor the effectiveness during the time?

An increasing number of protection authorities as ministries and local communities request to protected areas managers a veritable evaluation, in terms of effectiveness, of their management measures. Some large organisations, such as IUCN and the Council of Europe (European Diploma of Protected Areas ), dealt with this topic at the level of protected areas. (...)

Based on interviews with 21 alpine protected areas, the report “Renewable energies in Alpine protected areas” shows the conflicts between the protection and the use regarding the production of renewable energies as well as possible strategies. The study has been elaborated by the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SAS) with the support of the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (ALPARC) and has been funded by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).

Under the umbrella of the ECONNECT project, during three years, 16 international partners worked towards extending and protecting the Alpine ecological network. The results of their work were presented in Berchtesgaden, Germany, from 26th to 28th September 2011. (...)

Alain Brandeis was elected as Vice-President of ALPARC’s International Steering Committee (ISC) during the meeting on September 20th and 21st in Berchtesgaden / D and will take over the position of Philippe Traub , who retired this year. (...)

Pierre Weick, member of the ALPARCs International Steering Commitee (ISC), left the director chair of the regional nature park Vercors to become director of the french federation of regional nature parks. Thereby his position as a member of the International Steering Commitee ended. (...)

Adamello Park and Valle Camonica will host the seventeenth edition of the Memorial dedicated to Danilo Re (a ranger from Cuneo, who deceased in 1995 while he was on a duty) from Thursday 12th to Sunday 15th January 2012. (...)

An important characteristic of the park is its transboundary vocation, which takes shape in the daily relationship with the Triglav National Park (Slovenia) but also, even if not so intense, with the National Park Nockberge (Austria). (...)

A happy day for the Swiss parks: 8 parks got the label “Parks of national importance” by the Swiss federation. (...)

During the 10th conference of the Geoparks Network, that was held in Norway the 17th of September 2011, the regional nature park Bauges was distinguished as a geopark. Thus France will have a third geopark next to the geological nature reserve Haute-Provence in Digne (F) and the regional nature park Luberon. (...)

On the 25th of June 2011 the international GEO- Day of biodiversity took place in the Suisse biosphere reserve Val Müstair, where 120 experts from South- and North Tyrol and as well from Switzerland participated at the event. (...)

The Ecrins National Park created, with the initiative of the Centre of Alpine Orality (General Council of Hautes-Alpes ), an archive of documentaries and sound creations, recorded mainly in the alpine massif. (...)

“How renewable are the Alps?”
“What are the renewable resources the Alps can build a future on?”
“How can a sustainable future be built on past experiences and know-how?” (...)

In October 2011 comes out the film “Some bearded vultures and some men”, directed by Mathieu Le Lay, which leads us to the discovery of the great adventure of the bearded vulture’s reintroduction plan, an excellent outcome.

Between June and July three previews have been projected, but soon the film will be broadcasted on channel Montagne TV.

(...)

At the beginning of the XX century, the ibex, an animal proper to the Alps, was threatened with extinction because of the high hunting pressure. Only the population of Gran Paradiso managed to survive, thanks to a law... (...)