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About Us

ALPARC, the Alpine Network of Protected Areas, was founded in 1995 to support the implementation of the Alpine Convention, in particular the Protocol on "Nature protection and landscape conservation.” Since 2013, ALPARC is an association under the French law (1st July 1901) whose activities cover a large geographical area, ranging from the French to Slovenian Alps.

Objectives and Activities

The association’s main goal is to promote the exchange of expertise, techniques and methods among the managers of all the large protected areas in the Alps such as national parks, regional nature parks, nature reserves, biosphere reserves, tranquility zones, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, geological reserves and sites granted a special protection status. This exchange allows for parks to take part in and carry out projects that they may not have been able to do on their own. Through international cooperation, ALPARC serves as an intermediary between institutions, local actors and Alpine communities within the region in implementing the Alpine Convention

ALPARC carries out its actions under three main topics: Biodiversity and Ecological Connectivity, Regional Development and Quality of Life, and Education for Sustainable Development in the Alps. These three topics allow for ALPARC to take a regional approach to global issues such as climate change, nature conservation and sustainable development. Moreover, ALPARC aims to raise awareness among the general public and in particular, Alpine youth on environmental challenges.

How?

ALPARC achieves its objectives by:

  • Organizing events and workshops
  • Facilitating the dissemination of information on shared themes and producing publications
  • Cooperating with other international bodies, organizations and networks
  • Developing and coordinating international and notably European projects for and with the Alpine Protected Areas
  • Offering services such as finding partners for projects, producing expertise on various themes, exchanging data through tools such as directories and databases, and providing map-making and language assistance

Key dates

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France launches the idea of establishing a European network of Alpine Protected Areas.

1994
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Organisation of the 1st International Conference of the Alpine Protected Areas in Les Ecrins National Park (FR).

1995
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Drafting of the rules for ALPARC's procedural regulations;
Official recognition of ALPARC - The Alpine Network of Protected Areas as a contribution to the application of the Alpine Convention.

2000
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Conference of the Protected Areas of the European mountains.

2002
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The Steering Committee of the Alpine Convention gives ALPARC the responsibility to carry out a study on ecological networks and transboundary areas.

2004
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ALPARC celebrates its 10th anniversary.

2005
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ALPARC’s staff becomes attached to the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention under the name 'Task Force Protected Areas'.

2006
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Official partnership between CIPRA, ISCAR and WWF on the Ecological Continuum Initiative.

2007
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With the goal of creating a genuine ecological network, ALPARC launches a large-scale project on ecological corridors in collaboration with partner organizations.
Contracting parties of the Alpine Convention, the Carpathian Convention and the Biodiversity Convention sign the Memorandum of Cooperation.

2008
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ALPARC coordinates the activities of the Alpine Convention’s Platform 'Ecological Network'.

2009
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In January, ALPARC acquires the legal status of ‘association’ in France and separates from the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention.
In February, ALPARC and the Alpine Convention sign a Memorandum of Cooperation in order to facilitate cooperation between the two organizations and benefit from potential synergies.

2013
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20th anniversary!
ALPARC launches the first edition of the international event ‘Youth at the Top’ to help reconnect Alpine youth with nature and their mountain heritage.

2015
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ALPARC starts to work on the working field 'Regional Development and Quality of Life' under the framework of the project InnovAlps and WeWild.

2016
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ALPARC leads the 3-year EU Alpine Space project ALPBIONET2030 for Alpine wildlife and habitat management and the YOUrALPS project to give structure to the field of Mountain-oriented Education and incorporate the values and knowledge of mountains more fully into practice.
ALPARC becomes a partner of the 2-year EU Alpine Space project GaYA on implementing youth participation in the Alps.

2017
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Launch of the communication campaign 'Be Part of the Mountain' to reduce the impact of winter sport practitioners on Alpine fauna.

2018
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On April 11th, the new regional platform of the Alpine Network ‘ALPARC CENTR’ALPS’ is officially founded in Nagelfluhkette Nature Park (Balderschwang, DE) to ensure a regional presence and proximity of the network.

2019
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ALPARC celebrates its 25th anniversary in Le Monêtier-les-Bains, Les Ecrins National Park.

2021
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Together with 5 partners within the project OpenSpaceAlps and with 10 partners within the HEALPS2 project, ALPARC and the project partners have successfully completed these Alpine Space projects.

2022
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The regional platform ALPARC CENTR'ALPS is present with a contact point with its own staff in Immenstadt (DE).

2022

ALPARC - The Alpine Network of Protected Areas

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