The international colloquium about the management of the large carnivores is approaching and together with it the publication of a new brochure about these emblematic animals of the two neighbouring massifs.

For the first time the thematic brochure of ALPARC extends its field of action also beyond the Alps. Due to the subject "Large carnivores in the protected areas" the tight cooperation with the Carpathian massif was practically indispensable.

The third call for project proposals under the Alpine Space Programme is now open to all three programme priorities with particular attention to themes not covered so far. Nature parks are especially invited to take part in a meeting dedicated to a project proposal on the topic „Added value and biodiversity in nature parks”.

A larger project for three years about the importance and role of the protected areas in times of climate change started in January 2010 and continues in 2011. The projects is being lead in three different approaches, regarding the issue.

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.

On the initiative of ISCAR and ALPARC a new research journal on the protected mountain areas, published by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, IGF and Innsbruck University, was issued in June 2009.

In order to improve the preservation of large carnivores in the Alps and the Carpathians, the international colloquium "Large carnivores: management, research and public relation strategies of the protected areas" was organised in the Nizke Tatry National Park in Slovakia from 2nd - 4th July 2009.

The first meetings of the pilot regions took place during 2009 with already encouraging results concerning the definition of data needs, the importance linked to legal aspects and the choice of species within the ecological network.

A meeting for discussing the suite of the cooperation between the Alpine and Carpathian protected areas was organized in Berlin, 4th December 2008. Our colleagues from the Carpathians (Mr. Mircea Verghelet, CNPA – Carpathian Network of Protected Areas – Steering Committee chair and Mr. Ján Kadlečík, responsible of the CWI – Carpathian Wetland Initiative) met the German State Secretary for Environment Mr. Michael Müller.