In Berlin today Federal Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen officially opened the UN Decade on Biodiversity, responding to a call from the UN General Assembly to halt the loss of biological diversity in the decade between 2011 and 2020. Worldwide, countries and private stakeholders have been called upon to commit themselves to nature and the conservation of biological diversity.

The Federal Environment Minister stressed that biodiversity conservation is a worthwhile investment in the future: "Those who use and consume our natural capital instead of conserving it in the long term, act unwisely – ecologically, but also economically. The current financial crisis entails the danger of thinking that nature conservation is not affordable in times of crisis. In fact, the opposite is true: Economically it is better to invest in the conservation of biological diversity and to consider, from the start, the impact of human action on ecosystems and on the services they render. Worldwide a host of examples prove that this is the right approach".

Environment Minister Röttgen invited civil society players to actively shape the UN decade and to contribute with their own activities to the focal topic "enjoy diversity - nature is recreation (Vielfalt genießen - Naturzeit ist Freizeit)”. He launched a competition to find the best decade projects. Applications can be submitted from today. At the same time, well-known decade ambassadors and actively committed young people, so called young ambassadors, will voice their support for biodiversity conservation. Minister Röttgen said: "I am convinced that together we will be able to increase awareness of biological diversity everywhere and to integrate this topic into important political and societal processes". 

 At national level the Federal Environment Ministry has launched several initiatives and taken responsibility for nature conservation investments. Under the successful promotion programme entitled "representative large-scale nature conservation projects of national importance", 76 projects have been supported so far with more than €400 million. Moreover, an area of 125,000 hectares, owned by the Federation, will be conserved as "national natural heritage". With an annual €15 million the new "Federal Biodiversity Programme" supports concrete projects geared towards implementing the National Strategy on Biological Diversity. Under the "Forest Climate Fund" the Federal Environment Ministry (BMU) and the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) will also support measures geared towards supporting the adaptation of domestic forests to climate change, measures to prevent greenhouse gas emissions and measures to secure and conserve forests and wood products as carbon sinks. The goal is to achieve the best possible link between climate, environment and biodiversity aspects. As from 2013, €35 million are to be made available for this purpose.

Information to the national strategy of biodiversity and to federal biodiversity programme biodiversity: www.biologischevielfalt.de

Information to UN Decade on Biodiversity, tot eh competition and to the decade ambassadors: www.un-dekade-biologische-vielfalt.de & www.cbd.int/2011-2020

Source: BMU-Pressedienst Nr. 137/11, Berlin, 08. November 2011
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Published by: Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Stresemannstraße 128-130, 10117 Berlin
editor: Dr. Christiane Schwarte(verantwortlich) Dr. Elke Mayer, Juergen Maaß, Frauke Stamer
Tel.: 030/18 305-2010/-2011/-2012/-2014. Fax: 030/18 305-2016
email: presse@bmu.bund.de
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 An example of how trans-Alpine meetings can mark the beginning of beautiful new partnerships.

The 2008 AlpWeek held in Argentière la Bessée in France entitled "innovating (in) the Alps" provided an opportunity to compare a range of innovative Alpine initiatives, including the Achental Eco-Model (Germany).

Following the presentation, news of the Achental model for sustainable tourism and energy reached the ears of the Trièves regional land-use planning body (SAT) in France. The two areas got together and two years later are now partners in the EU BioRegions project, which was launched in May 2010 as part of the Intelligent Energy Europe programme.
Eleven partners from different rural areas in Europe are involved in the project, which focuses on identifying and sharing methods and good practice. The project seeks to promote the development of so-called bioregions – areas that aim to obtain at least one-third of their energy needs from local and sustainable bioenergy sources.

This is just one example among many which proves that our international thematic events bring together stakeholders from different Alpine regions and can genuinely enhance cooperation and practical action on the ground.

For more information about the BioRegions project, go to http://www.bioregions.eu/

Source: CIPRA France

  The Prealpi Giulie natural regional park extends across the territory of the villages of Resia, Resiutta, Chiusaforte, Lusevera, Venzone and Moggio Udinese within less than 100 km².
It includes the most elevated parts of the mountain ranges of the Plauris Mountain, Musi Mountains and the Canin Mountain, and slopes of altitude only in correspondence of the fraction of Povici and the Valley of the Mea stream.

These zones have been selected for their geological and natural importance, their landscape and as well the historical and cultural interest. They often present peculiar characters which are hardly founded anywhere else.
This is mostly owed to the fact that the protected area is in the intersection of three biogeographic areas (Alpine, Mediterranean and Illyric) but also to the border of the cultural Latin and Slavic worlds. 

  A particular specificity is represented in fact from the local communities settled in the Val Resia Valley and in the High Torre Valley have preserved their language and their traditions for centuries and contributed, with their laboriousness, to form the landscape of the territory of the protected area and its bordering zones.
“Stavoli”, “casere”, pathways, footbridges/catwalks, meadows and pastures constitute testimonies of a daily life, which has cohabited with the nature and moulded the territory day by day. Today it can be offered almost intact to the visitors and to the mountain lovers.

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). 

 In 2004 a project called ERA - Eco Regio Alpe Adria was launched in cooperation with these two parks. The aim of the project is to develop the cooperation in the sectors of the promotion of local products, of sustainable tourism and environmental education. One focus point is the school exchange project: every year children of local schools visit the other protected areas involved in the project.

To testify the strong connection with the Slovenian Park, the recognition from Europarc for a transboundary protected area arrived in 2009. This area, that includes the territories of the two parks and those of MAB Unesco Julian Alps in Slovenia as well. This area is called Julian Alps Ecoregion. 

An ambitious result but also an objective for the future is to look at the progressive strengthening of the relationship among these territories and at the extreme naturalistic importance among the oriental Alps, which isn’t considered by any political and administrative differences, just as already many times wished by Alparc. With the Alparc network a profitable relationship of partnership, that developed collaborations in almost all the subjects but particularly in environmental education and eco-balances, is established. Therefore a special steering group for eco-balances has been created and coordinated by the Park of the Prealpi Giulie in cooperation with the Friulian Dolomites and of the Orobie Valtellinesi .

What is Phénoclim?

Since 2004, the Alpine Ecosystems Research Center (CREA) is running the Phenoclim project, aiming at measuring the effects of climate change on alpine plants phenology. Within the scope of participatory science, Phenoclim is both a scientific and educational program involving various publics (schools, associations, individuals, protected areas) in data collection.

Every spring and autumn, volunteers observe phenology of common plant species and transmit the data (dates of budburst, leafing, flowering, leaf fall etc...) to CREA.

170 study zones are now spread across the Alps. Climate is also monitored through a network of 60 temperature stations .
The objective of this observatory is to expand all over the Alps (also Germany, Austria, Slovenia…), to better take into account the geographical diversity of the whole mountain range.

In the scope of the Working group “Mountain environmental education”, ALPARC and the REEMA support this programme and encourage the Alpine Protected Areas to participate.

How to participate?

The 2011 Phenoclim spring campaign has just started… You are managing one or more alpine protected areas? It’s the perfect time to join the french, italian and swiss protected areas which are already involved in Phenoclim!

You are interested in joining the project?

1. Register on Phenoclim website
2. Choose the plants from your study zone
3. Start your observations according to the Phenoclim protocol

Important: the web interface to register and report data is for the moment only available in French. If you would be interested to register and need an English version, please contact Floriane Macian (below) to express your interest and the CREA will consider the possibility to translate these pages.

If you want to use Phenoclim as an educational tool for schools, don’t hesitate to ask CREA for some tips.

More information:

Floriane Macian (English+French speaking)
floriane@crea.hautesavoie.net / www.crea.hautesavoie.net/phenoclim / 0033 (0)4 50 53 45 16

Download the presentation leaflet in English

On the occasion of a rewarding ceremony organised by the french presidency of the Platform “Ecological network” of the Alpine Vonvention in the frame of the XIth Ministers conference in Brdo (Slovenia) beginning of March 2011, 8 pilot regions have been thanked and congratulated for their exemplary work carried out to improve ecological connectivity on their territories.

 These regions, mostly structured around existing protected areas, carry out concrete activities in the aim of realising an alpine ecological network as stipulated in article 12 of the nature protection protocol of the Alpine Convention. Several personalities present at the event, among which the German state secretary for Environment Mrs. Heinen-Esser, have overhanded the rewarding diploma to the representatives of the pilot regions.

This ceremony has also concluded the 2 years of French presideny oft he Platform Ecological network who has passed the reponsability for this working group to Germany, now in chanrge oft he coorination oft he platform activiteis fort he period 2011-2013.  

List of the pilot regions (from Southwest to Northeast):
- South-western Alps (National Park Mercantour/ Nature Park Alpi Marittime, France-Italy)

- Département de l’Isère (France)

- Transboundary Ecoregion Gran Paradiso - Mont Avic - Mont Emilius (Italy)

- Ecoregion Alpe Veglia ed Alpe Devero (Italy)

- Rhaetian triangle (Engadin/Southtyrol/Trentino/Tyrol, Switzerland-Italy-Austria)

- Transboundary Region Berchtesgaden – Salzburg (Germany-Austria)

- Transbounadry Ecoregion Alpi Giulie (Italy)

- Nördliche Kalkalpen (Austria)

The ALPARC (Alpine Network of Protected Areas) Large carnivores working group was created during the ALPARC Conference in Belluno in 1999. Over the course of various thematic meetings, the group has taken shape, defining objectives and practical activities to be undertaken.

The group has worked incredibly hard, notably on preserving large carnivores in the Alps; providing accurate biological and demographic information about bears, wolves and lynx; investigating strategies that can promote the social, economic and cultural conditions that will allow humans and these three species to coexist; experimenting with solutions that can be used to resolve conflicts, and establishing a cooperation network with other organisations and associations.

In order to achieve its aims, the working group has appointed the Adamello Brenta Nature Park as lead partner and has defined specific activities designed to foster constructive partnerships whilst also engaging in awareness-raising activities, ongoing species monitoring and the development of a common conservation strategy for each species. 

What was the purpose of the questionnaire?

Up to now, the working group's activities have not been as effective as we had hoped, largely due to the fact that very few Alpine protected areas have been involved in the activities suggested by the Adamello Brenta Nature Park and by the Task Force Protected Areas, which coordinates ALPARC's activities.
Consequently, at the meeting held in Mittersill (Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria) in 2009 during the Danilo Re Memorial , a decision was taken to send out a questionnaire to all Alpine protected areas with a view to establishing the level of interest in the Large carnivores working group, reviewing its role and considering how it could be developed.
The questionnaire was designed by the Adamello Brenta Nature Park in consultation with the Task Force Protected Areas. It also sought to identify the conservation activities undertaken by Alpine protected areas in relation to bears, wolves and lynx. 

The results of the questionnaire

Although we sent out a total of 211 questionnaires to the managers of nearly all protected areas, we only received 15 responses.The questionnaire's primary aim was to establish whether protected areas were or might be interested in contributing to the activities of the Large carnivores working group. The poor response rate gives a clear signal about how much effort and activity is devoted to the issue on the ground.

The information obtained from the questionnaires does not appear to be representative and is therefore not deemed to provide a useful overview of the current and planned activities within the protected areas in relation to large carnivore conservation in the Alps. However, some interesting avenues for exploration have emerged, not least across-the-board demand for greater cooperation between protected areas.

More specifically, 14 of the 15 protected areas who returned the questionnaire stressed the need to establish cooperation and to pool specific and up-to-date information with a view to defining a common conservation strategy for the bear, wolf and lynx populations. In addition, the responses highlighted the lack of trans-Alpine cooperation on large carnivores plus the need to agree on objectives and content that could be more effective if undertaken as a shared initiative. The protected areas suggested that a protocol was required in order to standardise monitoring methods and use of monitoring data. Lastly, the protected areas flagged up the need to create ecological corridors between protected areas and to facilitate exchanges of information and good practice, particularly on the subject of minimising social conflict linked to human production activities.

Source: Adamello Brenta Nature Park et ALPARC (Alpine Network of Protected Areas) 

Filippo Zibordi
Parco Naturale Adamello Brenta

 Tracking knowledge on ecological connectivity in the Alps: the 50 most important questions on ecological connectivity in Alps have just been identified

It was in Liestal, Switzerland, that a group of 20 scientists and practitioners from all alpine countries and different specialties met the 6th and 7th December in order to define together the 50 most important questions on ecological connectivity in the Alps.

This project, which is based on a methodological approach developed by the British scientist Bill Sutherland and has been applied various times on topics related to biodiversity by himself, is led by professor Chris Walzer from the University of Vienna (A), Econnect leadpartner, and has already begun last summer.

More than 150 persons from the 8 alpine countries and different fields of work were invited to submit their proposals for possible questions on this topic. At the end, the 50 most interesting questions among the 500 questions received were selected using scientific criteria. The questions that were defined cover a large number of different topics with a certain focus on questions linked to climate change.

The final list of questions will soon be published in an international peer reviewed journal and also be communicated to a broader public. In the future, this catalog of questions should serve as an orientation to scientists working on this topic as well as to governmental institutions and other potential funder when developing projects or deciding about the attribution of financial support. 

 In 2009 the ALPARC “Joint Communication and Environmental Education ” working group initiated the project to create a new and attractive joint communication tool for the visitor centres of the protected areas. This project can at last become reality in 2011 thanks to the financial and concrete investment (several hundred images) by 20 protected areas managers and equally thanks to the financial support of the German Ministry of the Environment .

20 managers combine forces and means

20 managers or representatives of almost 60 protected areas of the various Alpine countries are united around this fine project which will make available to all the protected areas a simple but fascinating tool to present the protected areas to the general public.

* Members of the project steering committee

But what is multivision ?

 Multivision is a top-quality audiovisual experience, a carefully-crafted story featuring impressive scenery and instantly-recognizable elements. A wide-screen presentation with multiple images fading in and out, set to music, more like a stylish slide show than a film. Using stills will allow us to create displays and combinations that convey simple messages, primarily through vision and sound. There are just a few key personal stories included to enhance the experience.

Difficult to describe in words, multivision is appreciated by the eyes and ears: an extract (3 min.) of the multivision of Les Ecrins National Park/F can be seen onlineat this link

 From the outset this project was stamped with the will to be exemplary... the Park House, situated in the village of La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar has just been awarded the “Tourism and Disability” label for these four types of disability: motor, sight, hearing and mental, to the delight of the entire team who had devoted their energies to this end and who now see their efforts rewarded.

Judge for yourselves: reserved parking spaces, moving walkway access to reception and tactile ramp, tactile model of the whole building , adapted facilities inside the building, access ramps and ramps to visit temporary exhibitions, guide strips on the floor, audio guides, adapted reception furniture, reserved seats in the audiovisual space...

All the single storey exhibition space has been designed to be accessible to all and to cater for all types of visitors in a recreational way. 

Coherent welcoming facilities for disabled people now have to be taken further by working towards the creation of a natural site which can be experienced by these visitors with their infectious enthusiasm. Training in welcoming the disabled is also on the agenda.

Source: Parc national des Ecrins press release, complete original version at this link (in French only)

Link(s) :

• Parc national des Ecrins

 Otters continue to astonish the scientific community. For decades, the otter was on the brink of extinction but the population is now growing rapidly without any human assistance. Sightings of the mammals, which are part of the weasel family (Mustelidae), are becoming more common throughout the Alps, particularly in Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland.

The species was seriously endangered in the 19th century, when otters were hunted down both for their fur and because they were believed to be rapacious predators of fish. A ban on hunting otters failed to halt the population's decline, which was primarily caused by damage to their natural habitat.

Up to now, otters were believed to have survived in a only few places: the Inn and Ziller rivers (Tyrol, Austria), in the Fecht (Alsace, France) and in the Ticino river (Lombardy, Italy) following a reintroduction programme.

However, in recent years otters from the Laming valley (Styria, Austria) have moved further afield, with sightings reported around the Swiss Domat hydroelectric plant since December 2009. Other sightings have been recorded in recent months in the Rhone-Alps region in France – close to the Monts d'Ardèche Regional Nature Park and the Ile de la Platière Nature Reserve. 

 This is definitely good news, news which gives us reason to hope that otters will gradually return to populate the whole of the Alpine massif.

Sources:

NZZ online (German)

Office for hunting and fishing of the Graubünden (German, Italian and Romansh)

Association pro lutra (German and French)

Rheinaubund (German)

3 sat (German)

Spiegel online (German)

Enviscope (French)

ledauphine.com (French)

Corriere della sera.it (Italian) 

That is the opening line of the pocket-sized brochure produced for the new educational trail through the glacier foreland in the Lötschental (Switzerland), but applies equally to the recently opened Wilde John educational walking trail in the Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria. Both trails are designed to educate visitors about changes in the landscape, both naturally occurring and those caused by human activity, with the information being conveyed in very different ways and targeting different age groups.

The "Wilde John " path is aimed at young visitors; it teaches through a tale the history of the ‘Johnsbach’. In this tale the mountain stream ‘Johnsbach’ is represented by the Giant John. Visitors follow the stream from its wild and untrammelled youth through being straightened out and tamed between 1950 and 1975, then returned to its natural course as part of a LIFE project and freed from its restraints. The various interactive stations along the course of the stream allow children for example to discover what John is thinking and also provide information about other story-based LIFE project venues in Austria.

The 23 information points on the thematic educational trail on climate and glacier areas explain how the glacier forelands around the Lang Glacier have developed and teach visitors about how glaciers shape the landscape. There are an accompanying free leaflet and booklet available. Each information station includes a QR code that can be used in conjunction with certain mobile phones to view the website which contains information about each station.

The walking trail therefore provides both scientific and recreational information. There are a number of routes to choose from: it takes around 5 hours to visit all 23 information stations. For summer 2011, the edition of a scientific book as well as some worksheets for secondary and high school classes are planned.

Link(s) :

• Lötschental PLUS
• Nationalpark Hohe Tauern 

 From 20th to 23rd September 2010 an international exchange meeting between experts on ecological connectivity from the Alps and the Carpathians was held in Mikulov (CZ). This meeting was organised in the frame of the Memorandum of Cooperation signed in 2008 between the Convention on biological diversity (CBD), the Alpine and the Carpathian Convention.

During these packed but nevertheless very convivial days, the participants had the occasion to visit the Alps-Carpathian-Corridor project , aiming at facilitate migration of large mammals between the two mountain ranges.

The following day was dedicated to the 6th official meeting of the Platform “Ecological network” of the Alpine Convention . In parallel a meeting with representatives from the Carpathians was held, in order to discuss the creation of a similar working group in the frame of the Carpathian Convention. The international conference itself was held on Wednesday, offering numerous presentations of concrete best practice examples and working experiences from both mountain areas. There was also enough room for discussions, one of the main aims of this meeting being the definition of future cooperation projects on this specific topic.

The meeting was closed with an excursion to the Pavla protected area nearby, with an introduction to local problems concerning ecological connectivity but at the same time offering also the possibility to further deepen the exchange between the participants in a more informal frame.

All in all, these days have permitted to set the bases for future cooperation projects and represent a further step to strengthen the good exchange between the two mountain ranges on a topic that is of particular importance for nature protection in the future.