Mreža zavarovanih območij v Alpah
Feedback from the international “Wildlife and winter sport activities” workshop
3rd and 4th March 2016, Lescheraines (Massif des Bauges Regional Nature Park (RNP) FR). Organised by the Massif des Bauges RNP, ASTERS and ALPARC
Throughout the Alpine arc, sports and leisure activities have mushroomed as never before. Ski touring, free riding, trekking with or without snowshoes, practised by amateurs or sportspeople during the winter, have become widespread in our societies and all over the Alps.
While open-air activities are beneficial to humans, they do have significant negative impact on mountain wildlife. Species such as mountain galliformes, chamois and ibex, as well as the mountain hare, have become the involuntary targets of this disturbance. Many scientific studies have clearly demonstrated this impact (see the workshop presentations of Friday 4th March). So, how can winter sports activities be reconciled with the preservation of wildlife? How can those who practise such activities be made aware of this reality? Is coexistence possible and under what conditions?
A large variety of initiatives across the Alps
Currently, different initiatives, from national to local level, are being undertaken across the Alps. They relate to monitoring studies and methods, management measures or awareness raising campaigns for those who practise winter sports. Even if they come from different spheres, those stakeholders concerned today acknowledge the extent of the problem and its potential development, a factor that calls for action on different fronts.
A selection of current studies and initiatives was presented and discussed during the international “Wildlife and winter sport activities” workshop. This workshop was the first of its kind and brought together a large number of participants (around 50), coming from different fields across the Alpine arc (6 countries were represented): governments, Alpine Clubs, scientists, environmental NGOs and, of course, the protected areas. For those taking part it was an opportunity to present their at times creative initiatives, to discuss practices and to pool knowledge, experiences and ideas.
As for the initiatives, there have been large-scale awareness-raising campaigns such as the “Respektiere Deine Grenzen” campaign (“Respect your Limits”) which has been carried out by the Voralberg (AT) federal state government for more than 10 years now, or the “Respecter c’est protéger” (“To Respect is to Protect”) campaign, an adaptation of that campaign at a national level in Switzerland and supported by the Swiss Alpine Club and the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN. These two campaigns stand out by their political will to support this approach using significant means. Herbert Erhart from the Vorarlberg region explains: “We have chosen to say: Yes, nature is worth these efforts”.
On the other hand, diverse initiatives are being carried out in the Alpine protected areas in their own territories, bringing in other different local stakeholders. Examples of this are the Gesäuse National Park (Styria, AT), the Triglav National Park (SI), the Mont Avic Nature Park (IT), the transborder Nagelfluhkette Nature Park (Bavaria/Vorarlberg, DE/AT) and the Bauges RNP: management of visitors by marking out and demarcating quiet areas is generally accompanied by awareness-raising actions targeting different types of activity (see presentations of Thursday 3rd March). The workshop has proved that the protected areas play a key role in the development of these measures in the Alps as they are at one and the same time mediators in approaches to governance and pilot regions for innovative practices which can spread beyond the parks themselves.
During the workshop there was an opportunity to see a local measure implemented by the Bauges RNP: the setting up of a perimeter of protection for the wintering areas of the black grouse at the Col de Chérel.
A single will: one common approach for the Alps
It is clear that, for the moment, approaches and initiatives are scattered over the Alpine territory, developed and carried out in very assorted ways. Some territories have made more progress than others with respect to the different lines of intervention: monitoring, management of visitors and awareness-raising. In Italy, for example, awareness-raising campaigns and actions remain limited. Nonetheless the problem is the same throughout the Alpine arc.
So, the delegates identified one central need during the discussions: the need to pool experiences and advances and develop a common approach on an Alpine level, from monitoring to visitor management to a common form of communication, while at the same time mobilising the different stakeholders and interested parties. Such a project would guarantee greater visibility of the issue, awareness-raising of greater impact and a better quality of management throughout the Alps. A common approach would moreover contribute to more coherence and cohesion in the Alpine arc.
A first step in this direction was taken during the workshop: delegates expressed their wish to set up a working group on this theme in order to work in networks on an international scale, go into some ideas in depth and develop a common project.
Acknowledgements
A big thank you to all the delegates for attending and for the rich, animated exchanges and discussions! Thanks also to the Bauges RNP and Asters teams for organising the workshop, and in particular to the Bauges RNP for hosting the event in their territory.
Alpine protected areas contributing
The Gesäuse National Park (Styria, AT), The Triglav National Park (SI), the Mont Avic Regional Park (IT), the transborder Nagelfluhkette Nature Park (Bavaria /Vorarlberg, DE/AT), the Massif des Bauges Regional Nature Park (FR), ASTERS Conservatory natural areas of Haute Savoie (FR)
To read the full report on the workshop, see below:
This section includes the part 2/2 of the Powerpoint presentations shown during the Workshop Wildlife and winter sport activities " Your space of freedom - my living space" that took place the 3rd and 4th of March 2016 in Lescheraines, Massif des Bauges Regional Nature Park (France)
This section includes the part 1/2 of the Powerpoint presentations shown during the Workshop Wildlife and winter sport activities " Your space of freedom - my living space" that took place the 3rd and 4th of March 2016 in Lescheraines, Massif des Bauges Regional Nature Park (France)
The first Alpine Building Conference “Towards Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB)“ offers the exciting opportunity for the thorough exchange of experience and ideas in the field of zero-energy buildings and neighbourhoods, sustainable and energy-efficient construction, building culture and related building design topics.
The main aim of the conference is to develop future strategies and solutions to create a net-zero-energy building culture in the Alpine regions.
Conference time frame: March 16, 2016 from 12:00 pm to March 17, 2016 15:00 pm
The presentations will be translated into French, German, Italian and Slovenian.
Participation is free of charge. Please register before March 7, 2016
For registration and further information please visit: https://www.events.tum.de/frontend/index.php?sub=46/
ALPARC, the Massif des Bauges Regional Nature Park and Asters organize the workshop "Wildlife and winter sport activities" March 3 and 4 2016.
The workshop will take place in the Regional Nature Park Massif des Bauges, in :
Congress Center “Eau Vive”
73340 Lescheraines, France
Winter sport and outdoor activities like ski touring, free riding and snowshoeing have become more widespread – in both, society and space - over the last decade. This trend leads to an increased frequentation of protected areas and their core areas in winter, causing negative impacts on the alpine fauna.
Protected areas across the Alps, together with public and private partners, have developed a number of innovative campaigns and instruments in the last years in order to prevent these effects.
The workshop „Wildlife and winter sport activities“ aims at promoting the exchange between alpine protected areas, alpine clubs and researchers on this topic and providing a stage to develop a common approach.
For further information download the PDF programme (below) !
ALPARC, la CGET et la Fédération des Parcs Naturels Régionaux de France organisent une réunion du groupe de suivi national des parcs alpins français qui aura lieu le mercredi 2 mars 2016 (après-midi) à Chambéry dans la Maison des Parcs et de la Montagne.
Cette rencontre veut favoriser une bonne coordination des parcs alpins français au sein du réseau international d’ALPARC.
Seuls les représentants des espaces protégés et leurs partenaires institutionnels sont admis.
Inscriptions avant le 26/02/2016 par mail à info@alparc.org
As elsewhere, the natural return of the wolf to the Alps has not been without a series of difficulties for certain stakeholders, as evidenced by the recent events in the region of the Hohe Tauern National Park (Salzburg Region in Austria). These problems deserve to be given serious attention but without going so far as to authorise the wolf’s status as a protected species to be called into question.
The wolf figures among the species which enjoy the fullest protection under European legislation. The “Conservation of nature and countryside” protocol of the Alpine Convention also speaks of the protection of species and their needs for sufficiently large and adapted habitats. In this context must be mentioned the Convention’s work on green infrastructure: a strategy which allows the interconnection of natural areas having great ecological value with, notably, the participation of the farming world.
Generally speaking the following can be said: there should be no active reintroduction of the large predators, but the natural return of the wolf and the bear to the Alps with adequate measures to accompany this return should be ensured.
Moreover, a decision by the board of the Hohe Tauern National Park (Regions and State) asserts the following principle: “no active reintroduction but a benevolent reception and measures to support the predator’s natural return”.
The wolf is part of European and Alpine biodiversity and of our own history inside and outside the protected areas. However, these areas can only serve as a laboratory to test out good management of these species; they are not large enough to take sole responsibility for the protection of the wolf or other species of large predators.
Besides, the task of ensuring the habitats of the large predators is not assigned to the protected areas alone. That is rather a challenge to civil society as a whole and it is up to the population of the Alps to assess what level of biodiversity they wish to authorise.
Local political representatives in the Alps are also responsible for acting in accordance with the framework established by European and international conventions. They play a mediating role between sometimes differing interest groups and are the guarantors of sustainable development which includes the protection of biodiversity. It would appear that Alpine society needs to relearn how to live with the wolf. On this front some political courage is necessary and this goes well beyond the polemical debates about the issue which are preferred only too often by some decision makers in Alpine countries.
ALPARC clearly asserts the objectives of the Alpine Convention as well as those of the “Protection of Nature” also ratified by Austria. ALPARC defends the objectives of the habitat directive for the protection of priority species and welcomes the natural return of the large predators to the Alps.
ALPARC, together with the Alpine protected areas, supports this return to a scientific level, not only by exchanges on management and monitoring methods, but also by working to inform and by mountain education.
One of ALPARC’s main missions is to foster professional exchanges between protected areas. It does this through a variety of projects, events and workshops.
As for its activities, ALPARC coordinates and provides the framework for several projects throughout the Alps. Both members and non-members can take part in these actions. ALPARC supports local member initiatives and helps its members carry out activities according to their own needs and capacities. Moreover, members are assisted in launching inquiries on specific protected area management issues. These exchanges are essential for building effective collaboration to face common issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
ALPARC also valorizes its members’ activities and events through social media, its website and regular newsletters. It strives to keep them informed on the most important news concerning the Alps.
Edition 2016: rendezvous on July 12th!
Discover this initiative in pictures (1:19): : https://youtu.be/wvqHo5D3XEk
If you are a manager of a protected area and/or if you know youth groups interested or if you are yourself part of a group of young people, do not hesitate to contact us for more information and assistance in assembling your project. Participation is free, with the possibility of a financial support for some expenses for members of ALPARC (subject to special conditions).
During the first test-edition of the “Youth at the Top” event on 16th July 2015, 370 young people between 7 and 28 years old from the Alps and 105 adults acting as accompaniers or contributors shared time together in 5 Alpine countries. Read the complete article about the 2015 edition (here).
Have a look at the video 2015 (6:11): https://youtu.be/TMDOXzf1B9k
Thanks for sharing the link!
More artwork and output can also be seen on the Internet site, after each of the 27 “event” files: http://youth-at-the-top.org/en/contributions as well as in the many photo albums on the operation’s Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/YATevent
Marie Stoeckel and Letizia Arneodo, ALPARC & Isabelle Roux, Educ'alpes (France)
www.youth-at-the-top.org * www.facebook.com/YATevent
www.alparc.org * www.educalpes.fr
This action is coordinated by ALPARC, with Educ’Alpes in France, and with the financial support of the German Ministry for the Environment. 
As from 1st January 2016, the two Italian natural parks Marguareis and Alpi Marittime are officially considered to form one park, managed by the body “Ente di gestione delle aree protette delle Alpi Marittime”. Against this background they hosted the 21st edition of the Danilo Re Memorial in Chiusa di Peso (Cuneo - Italy) from 21st au 24th January 2016.
More than 165 people (park rangers and employees of the Alpine protected areas) gathered together for this 21st edition of this festive event now not to be missed by any of those who take part. The lack of snow did not prevent the competition from being a real success and the Italians’ good humour only added to the joyful spirit of this Memorial. This year the park where Danilo Re, the park ranger to whom the event is dedicated, worked, hosted the Memorial.
Lastly, this year the delegates had the opportunity to take part in the international conference organised within the context of the European Life WolfALPS project and having the theme “The wolf population in the Alps: status and management”. In one session devoted to the experiences of the protected areas in wolf management, some parks showed videos depicting the various activities implemented for the management of the species in their territory. The conference was organised in collaboration with the Italian delegation of the Alpine Convention, who also hosted the meeting of the WISO platform meeting.
>> See the videos of the parks on “practical wolf management”
Results
The results of the competitions in detail can be found on the Memorial website at this link.
This year the alliance formed by the Vanoise National Park (F) and the Gran Paradiso National Park (I) came first in the overall ranking, and the two teams of the Swiss National Park took the second and third places.
Once more, congratulations to all who took part!
The 22nd edition will be held in the Gesäuse National Park in Austria from 26th to 29th January 2017.
Wolf Management in Practice: Protected Areas’ Experiences
The fourth ALPARC General Assembly was held on 22nd January 2016 in Cuneo in Italy, in the context of the 21st Danilo Re Memorial which took place from Thursday 21st to Sunday 24th January 2016 in Chiusa di Pesio (Italy) in the Marguareis Natural Park/ Alpi Marittime Natural Park.
More than 50% of the network’s members were represented and the General Assembly validated the official reports of the president, treasurer and director for 2015 as well as the ALPARC programme for 2016-2017.
For your information, the 2015 activities report can be downloaded at this link (in French here):
To access the German, Italian or Slovene versions of the activity report, change the language of this article in the menu above.
ALPARC will direct its strategies as follows:
During the General Assembly the year‘s communication activities to celebrate ALPARC‘s 20th anniversary were also recalled, such as for example the Photo and Land Art contest. The success of the first edition of the “Youth at the Top” project was widely praised after the showing of the retrospective video.
Various problematics were also broached, such as the management of water or again the impact of global warming on protected areas. ALPARC will, of course, be responding to the needs of its members.
In the afternoon delegates attended the conference entitled Life Wolf ALPS, its theme being “The wolf population in the Alps: status and management”. The conference was organised in collaboration with the Italian delegation of the Alpine Convention, who also hosted the meeting of the WISO platform.
