La Rete delle Aree Protette Alpine
On the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity, the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats launches the social media campaign #NotAlone. The campaign focuses on cities which, due to climate change, are becoming heat islands
It is aimed at raising awareness on how biodiversity helps protecting human well-being and mitigating the effects of climate change.
Visit the #NotAlone Campaign website, follow on Facebook.
Read the Press release
The educational international project Youth at the Top is in its 4th edition. The project has evolved and is introducing some novelties for this year of 2018, with a new use for the postcards, now also in a new version, and the introduction of a common topic to be explored within a thematic action.
The event will bring together thousands of young people in the Alps and the Carpathians and will take place on the 12th and 13th of July 2018. Organizations which haven’t registered yet can still associate a local event to the project.
Up to now, more than 45 events have been confirmed in 8 different countries across the Alps and the Carpathians.
A common action on the topic: “Climate Change”
For the first time, all organizations taking part in Youth at the Top are invited to plan an action within a common subject. The topic for the 2018 edition is “Climate Change and its Impacts on Mountain Ecosystems”. A teaching resource on this subject has been prepared by ALPARC and is now available for all participants, with tips on how to approach Climate Change with the youngsters during the event.
“The Alps in my Backpack” is back again
A great success during Youth at the Top 2017, the teaching tool “The Alps in my backpack” will be available upon request to all organizations taking part in the 2018 edition. This multifunctional support allows an international, cross-cultural approach of the Alps, with a focus on the biodiversity of its territory and the cultural heritage shared by its 6 countries. It is a simple and interactive way of showing youngsters how vast and diverse the Alps are.
The complete list of the confirmed events for Youth at the Top 2018 is already available on the website www.youth-at-the-top.org. An interactive map on the bottom of the page shows the localization of each event.
Tourism has become one of the main sources of income in the Alps. Local populations, especially young people, increasingly depend on tourist activities for their livelihoods; this is why more than 40% of Alpine municipalities are actively engaged in the development of tourism. However, these economic activities can have a negative impact on the Alpine natural and cultural heritage. For these reasons, it is fundamental to "harmonize tourism and recreational activities whith ecological and social requirements", according to Article 2 paragraph 2(i) of the Alpine Convention.
In this framework, on May 25th, 2018, ALPARC held a workshop during the CIPRA annual conference in Bled (Sl). “Living and Working beyond Tourism” was a workshop seeking to identify the challenges young people encounter in the booming tourism industry.
Positive and negative effects of tourism were investigated together with Barbara Wülser (CIPRA International), Matej Ogrin (CIPRA Slovenia) and more than 30 participants. Negative impacts are especially relevant for local people whose quality of life is suffering due to reasons such as seasonal work and unreasonable working hours. These may also be some of the major reasons as to why young people do not necessarily want to work in tourism. Hence, the quest becomes urgent for new jobs solutions through job diversification, innovative job models and the provision of other ways of creating value. Next to cooperation, social interaction, new mobility schemes and infrastructure, it became clear that different and innovative education models are needed, which adapt to the specific needs of Alpine regions.
International networks such as ALPARC, CIPRA and AiDA may be the platforms on which to promote and to facilitate the exchange of good practices.
YOUrALPS is an Interreg Alpine Space project and lasts from November 2016 to October 2019. It is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg Alpine Space programme. ALPARC is the lead partner of the project.
For further information about the project, please visit the YOUrALPS website.
The Forum Alpinum 2018" Alpine Water – common good or source of conflicts? " will take place from the 4th to the 6th June 2018, in Breitenwang (Austria).
The 13th Forum Alpinum will focus on water use.
Changing environmental and climatic conditions as well as growing demand likely lead to conflicts in water use and water management in the Alps. The ForumAlpinum will identify hot spots of water use and management in the Alps, will analyze target conflicts, assess their relevance in a regional, national or international context, and discuss possible solutions.
More information at: http://2018.forumalpinum.org/
How to rethink tourism as a holistic offer based on local resources? Which strategies combine tourism, agriculture, crafts, education and culture? How to involve guests, locals and temporary residents in a common vision for the destination? The community network "Alliance in the Alps" and CIPRA International will address these questions at the Annual Conference on 25 and 26 May 2017 in Bled, Slovenia.
One of the central challenges for developing relevant options for long-term sustainble tourism will involve the young generation and their visions about the future of a liveable alpine space. In a workshop on the YOUrALPS Alpine School Model, ALPARC and the University of Ljubljana will try to involve youth in the search for suitable approaches. Thus, light will be shed on the several options of reconciliating nature and ecosystem services as source of economic income and their function as a sound environment for preserving natural and cultural heritage.
Il reste encore des places disponibles dans le cadre du projet Youth Alpine Interrail, qui permet aux jeunes âgés entre 16 et 27 ans de voyager à travers les Alpes pendant l'été 2018 pour 50 euros seulement !
La participation de jeunes français est fortement encouragée !
L'inscription est possible en individuel ou en groupe, jusqu'à 4 personnes. Avec le passe, valable pendant un mois en Juillet et en Août 2018, chaque participant pourra réaliser jusqu’à 7 voyages par mois. C’est une opportunité unique de découvrir de manière soutenable, en train et à petit prix, tous les 8 pays alpins : Allemagne, Autriche, France, Italie, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovénie et Suisse !
Ce projet est le fruit de l’initiative de quelques jeunes de l’arc alpin, qui ont réussi à mobiliser différents acteurs pour permettre à d’autres jeunes de voyager à travers les Alpes plus facilement, par des moyens de transport durables et à tarif réduit (50 euros au lieu de 255). Avec ce projet, encore en phase d’expérimentation, on espère pérenniser ce type d’offre et inciter davantage des jeunes à découvrir la région.
Pour plus de détails voir : www.yoalin.org
Date limite d'inscription : le 30 mai 2018
Sunrise on a bright autumn day in a mountain nature reserve, somewhere in the Swiss Alps. Several chamois and ibex graze about in a pasture above the tree line. But suddenly, there is a movement and a noise in the sky and all the animals disperse within seconds. What just happened? Out of nowhere, a small multicopter appears along the mountain ridge, probably to film the vertiginous view from the heights.
Small flying devices known as drones are equipped with high performance photo or video cameras as well as a lot of other technical equipment are seen more often in mountainous areas, including the Alpine Protected Areas. Their presence brings about a great risk of disturbing wildlife. This is something that needs to be accounted for in protected area management by those who are responsible for conservation areas. On the other hand, this new and innovative technology offers a large variety of interesting tools and possibilities to facilitate the day-to-day work of protected areas managers when used in a responsible way.
ALPARC held an international conference from March 26th-27th, 2018 in Dobbiaco (It) on the opportunities and threats that the use of drones poses in protected areas. It was an opportunity to hear about the current use of and experience with this new technology in Alpine Protected Areas. Indeed, several protected areas are already using drones for vegetation mapping, remote sensing activities, and the development of 3D elevation modeling or technical interventions in inaccessible areas. An expert for a British research institute presented “guidelines of good practice of drone use” developed in an international context for another highly sensitive area, Antarctica.
During the conference, three roundtable discussions offered the possibility to exchange on the prospects of the use of drones for conservation communication issues, to discuss the multiple legal situations in the Alpine countries and to imagine possible developments in drone robotics adapted to specific (research) needs in protected areas. Finally, the prospect of a common Alpine guideline on the use of drones in sensitive protected natural areas was discussed by the conference delegates.
Conference presentations can be found here.
The delegates of the ALPARC conference on drones in protected areas watching a flying demonstration. Picture taken by a drone.
© Michael Schmalzl, Alpsvision GmbH/s.r.l.
You will find below the presentations and documents from the ALPARC conference "Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones) in Protected Areas: Opportunities and Threats" that was held on March 27th and 28th, 2018 in Dobbiaco, Italy.
The complete conference program is available here
Le 37ème congrès des Réserves naturelles de France 2018 se tiendra du 4 au 7 avril 2018 à Ronce-les-Bains (La Tremblade), en Charente-Maritime
Thème du congrès :
« 500 Réserves naturelles en 2030 ? Quelle vision d’avenir ? Quelles clés de réussite ? Quels financements ? »
Ouverture des inscriptions début janvier 2018
Pour plus d'informations: www.reserves-naturelles.org
The aim of this ALPARC event is to provide an overview about the variety of possible uses of the new and rapidly evolving technology for different tasks in the missions of protected areas. Potential dangers of unappropriated use of UAS will also be highlighted.
The use of drones (Unmanned Aircraft Systems/UAS) has considerably increased during the last years, also in the alpine Protected Areas. This new technology has integrated the modern park management and is used for multiple purposes (monitoring, mapping, remote sensing, photography, technical interventions in inaccessible areas…), offering numerous interesting possibilities. On the other hand the use of drones by park managers but particularly also by external persons may cause important disturbances to the protected areas. 
During the conference the legal situation in the different alpine countries will be presented and an introduction to general UAS technology given. Protected areas managers and other professional drone users will present very diverse possibilities of use of drones in the day to day tasks of protected areas and discuss further potential challenges for the new technology with the participants. A demonstration of flying performances by experienced drone pilots is forseen. An overview about potential negative impacts of the flying devises and how to limit them will close the event.
The Conference will take place the 26th and 27th March 2018 in the Grand Hotel in Toblach/Dobbiaco (Italy). Registration is open !
To register for the conference, please click on the button below.
The event is organized with the logistical and financial support of :
The European Parks Academy (EPA) is a new international training format that addresses the increasing capacity needs for planning and effectively managing protected areas.
The unique cooperation between IUCN´s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), the research institution E.C.O. and the Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt resulted in well-designed and targeted training modules hold by renown experts.
After a successful first round of the academy in 2017 (IUCN News), this year´s event will focus again on three highly relevant topics: „Branding & Communication“, „Ecological Monitoring“ and „Management of World Heritage Sites”. The summer academy takes place from 16th to 28th July 2018 in Klagenfurt/Austria.
Find the program flyer here.
Further information and registration: https://e-c-o.at/epa.html
Contact:
Andrej Sovinc, IUCN´s WCPA: wcpa.sovinc@gmail.com
Alexandra Joseph, E.C.O. Institute of Ecology: epa@e-c-o.at
In Destination Parks, the ALPARC network will collectively promote and develop sustainable, nature- and experienced-based tourism in protected areas of the Alps.
Together with protected areas and tourism organisations ALPARC will
The kick-off meeting of the project Destination Parks will take place the 21th of Febraury 2018 at the headquarters of the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (OFEV), Papiermühlestrasse 172, 3063 Ittigen, Bern (CH)
For further information about Destination Parks please download the flyer below or contact Dominik Cremer- Schulte at: dominik.cremer-schulte@alparc.org
Destination Parks is supported by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (OFEV). It runs from November 2017 to December 2018.
