In preparation for the IUCN World Conservation Congress , which will be held this year in September in South Korea, ALPARC’s president and Berchtesgaden National Park’s director Michael Vogel was invited in late April to a work meeting by the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology, the South Korean Ministry of Environment, the Korea National Park Service and the University of Seoul.

Michael Vogel, as a specialist of the German Alpine National Park and the Alpine Network of Protected Areas gave already two years ago a lecture in Korea about the Alpine Space project ECONNECT and presented this year in addition to his experience and results on the topics of national park management, ecological network in the Alpine region, the importance of protected areas in regional development as well the core results and resulting demands of ECONNECT. 

 Next to Korean national park managers, he established a contact to representatives of Japanese and Chinese reserves, which are highly interested and very keen to work with the Alpine Network of Protected Areas and the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas in the perspective of the creation of an Asian network of protected areas.

Michael Vogel, who was praised as an expert for eating with chopsticks, thinks: "It seems to be only a matter of time before ALPARC will get an Asian "brother" and the first joint meeting between ALPARC, the Carpathian Network and an Asian network." 

It is with great pride that we announce that eco.mont has just been admitted into the prestigious Thomson Index (Web of Science), with retroactive inclusion of all past issues (back to issue 1 in June 2009).

The periodical was created by common accord between ALPARC , ISCAR (International scientific committee on research in the Alps), the Austrian Academy of Sciences ÖAW and the University of Innsbruck. The ISCAR-P work group covering research in protected spaces constitutes the editorial committee of eco.mont.

Issue 4/2, to be published in December 2012, will include articles on changes in vegetation around the Alpine lakes of Styria, results of research into the districts within Nepalese national parks and displacements in Ethiopia. A portrait of the biosphere of the Swabian Jura will also appear in the summary.

We also invite you to submit your contributions for the next issue (5/1) before December 2012. The main themes discussed by the magazine are: the administration of protected areas and governance, monitoring and climate change, sustainable and ecological regional development, research into the flora and fauna of the protected mountain areas.

eco.mont publishes new scientific articles submitted to a peer review process, reports on administrative matters and other subjects of interest for the protected areas, and in each issue focuses on a protected area as a case in point. The periodical is published in English to reach as wide a public as possible.

Around 140 representatives of Protected Areas and other stakeholders acting in the Carpathian Region met at the 2nd Conference of the Carpathian Network of Protected Areas to exchange experience and ideas for future cooperation. The conference titled "Financing protected areas – about ecosystem services, financing mechanisms and green economy" was held in Javorina, Tatra National Park, Slovakia between 23-26 April 2013.

During the Conference several distinguished keynote speakers discussed a variety of perspectives on approaches and issues regarding to the network of protected areas, such as their governance, the science behind conservation and the role of Non-Governmental Organizations.

Amongst others, speakers included representatives from the European Commission, the DG Environment and the Indigenous Peoples' and Community Conserved Areas and Territories (ICCA ).

The program also included a presentation of the BioREGIO Carpathians project, which aims to enhance the integrated management of protected areas and natural assets of the Carpathian Mountains. Sustainable regional development and ecological connectivity were promoted as tools to overcome legal and ecological barriers while considering transboundary and transnational needs.

ALPARC was actively involved in the organization of this important event for the Protected areas of the Carpathians, not only in the preparation of the meeting but also with a key note speech and the organizations of two Workshops : one on project development (together with the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention) and one on the topic of ecological connectivity (together with EURAC).

Link to the conference homepage : http://www.carpathianparks.org/conference2013/

 We have already talked about it last autumn ; the film “Bearded vulture and men” makes its way. It won the first price at the “Festival de l’insolite Vendée Nature 2013” in the wildlife documentary film category.

It’s the fifth reward for this film since the beginning after Albert in Somme (Fr), Rabat (Maroc),Ya’an (China) and Matsalu (Finland). The film is still currently broadcasted on Montagne TV in France and in many other countries (Canada, Austria, Korea…). Numerous projections are still organized for the public through Tourist offices, regional and national parks and film festivals. The next ones will be “Silences du Ventoux” 17th July and Natural history museum of Geneva in autumn. 

 Since 28th May 2013, the Alps have had a new trans-border biosphere reserve: the Italian and French territories situated on each side of Mont Viso now constitute two biosphere reserves totalling 294,000 hectares and including 4 sites already listed as Unesco World Heritage Sites.

About twenty communes are concerned on the French side and 88 on the Italian side.

This classification is thanks to the collaboration between the Pô Cuneese and Queyras regional parks, which made a joint application to obtain the international UNESCO “Man and Biosphere” recognition on a national and trans-border level. 

 “Nature parks strengthen rural territories: such is the paradigm widely heard with regard to nature parks and regional development. The present report “Nature Parks and Regional Sustainable Development” seeks to identify further the factors which enable nature parks to contribute to regional development while equally taking into account aspects of society, the protection of nature and the landscapes.

Thus 32 experts from different countries (Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Hungary and Switzerland) have looked into these questions. Thanks to a scientific analysis it is possible to define the effects of nature parks on local economies and identify the results obtained by the implementation of different actions.

26 projects stemming from nature parks in Austria and other countries present examples of successful regional development in nature parks. The themes under scrutiny range from the enhancement of landscapes through local produce, sustainable mobility and visitor management to environmental education and other innovative concepts and projects. 

The essential is invisible to the eyes (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

With the project "Walking through the clouds" the National Park Gran Paradiso promotes soft mobility through the regulation of motorized traffic on the road to the Nivolet in the summer and encourages walking, cycling and shuttle use. 

On the weekends from 7 July to 25 August 2013, the road from the village SERRU to the pass is closed for private car transport. An opportunity to bike, walk or take the shuttle bus to explore a part of this paradise.

The Nivolet is a wonderful plateau of bogs and wetlands at 2,500 meters above sea level, drawn by the meanders of the Dora. It is the habitat of the ibex, chamois, marmots, ermines, foxes, migratory and resident birds and rare plant species.

As a popular destination for cyclists and hikers to enjoy the Nivolet, it changed - especially in the summer Sundays - more and more into a huge car park at high altitude. In the aim to create an alternative to this alienation, incompatible with the objectives of a national park, this project, which also includes the revitalization of the entire area with high-quality tourist services, was launched in 2003.

Turn off the engine and listen to the mountains - The program 2013

Situated between the high Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys, the Vanoise National Park is home to high mountains, rising to more than 3, 000 m, on which many glaciers remain. There are also valleys which open onto wide, easily accessible passes.

The variety of its rocks (calcareous, gypsum, sandstone, quartzite, shale, mica schist, gneiss…), linked to a very complex geological structure, the altitudinal range, its position at the intersection of different climates, contributes to the remarkable wealth of geology, flora and fauna of the massif.

Natural wealth

The Vanoise massif is a unique habitat not only for ibex, chamois and eagle, but also for many other animal and plant species, whether in the heart of the park or in its optimal partnership zone.

For example, among the flowering plants, certain French species grow only in the Vanoise National Park. (One example is the Gentiana utriculosa).

The protection of species and their habitats begins by the acquisition of knowledge and the implementation of plans of action. Not only does the park ranger make a great number of observations during his rounds, he is also at the origin of numerous inventory and monitoring programmes, the protocols of which he works out with the scientific council or in conjunction with the other national parks.

Thousands of data have been collected during these programmes, which also help to better understand developments.

Cultural wealth

Beyond this natural wealth, the National Park also has a rich culture, especially through the built and religious heritage (particularly chapels in high altitude pasture) and the “Road of salt and cheese” between Pralognan-la-Vanoise and Termignon.

The park is involved in the restoration and valuation of the built heritage (implementation of knowledge and use of traditional materials).

Vanoise also has a dynamic pastoral activity, driven by the Beaufort cheese, which is typical of the National Park's character. The support for this activity is in the centre of the actions of the Park.

The Vanoise National Park offers many opportunities for walks and long hikes with a network of almost 500 km of marked paths and “discovery trails” of the natural environment, some of which are accessible to those with motor disabilities. The Park also offers hikes adapted to the motor and visually impaired.

It was the first French park (created in 1963) and so this year celebrates its 50th birthday . In this special year and in addition to the celebration of this birthday, the Park also organized and hosted the Danilo Re trophy and saw the creation of the .Alparc association

It constitutes, with its neighbour the Gran Paradiso national park, one of the largest protected areas in Western Europe, with 1, 250 km2.The two parks have been twinned since 1972 and in 2012 they were given the joint renewal of the European Diploma delivered by the Council of Europe which establishes the quality of management of the protected areas.

The site http://www.parcnational-vanoise.fr gives the references of all the specialized publications and a complete description of the protected area.

The first breeding of wolves in the eastern Italian Alps was observed in the Lessinia region, near to Verona (north-east Italy).

 It was confirmed on August 7 by videos trapping installed by rangers of the regional park Lessinia, which attest the presence of 2 cubs of about 4 months.

This reproduction was expected for months by the global scientific community, since these two strains of population had not been in contact for 150 years.

left: the two cubs drinking

right: the path done by Slavc to find Giulietta! 

 Further information here : http://www.ferus.fr/actualite/loup-premiere-reproduction-italo-slovene-dans-les-alpes-orientales

The Park of Triglav is the only Slovenian national park. Spread over 84,000 hectares, it covers almost the entire territory of the Slovenian Julian Alps.

Thanks to a project Leader, co-financed by the European Union, the park Triglav has decided to launch a project similar to the "Quality Charter" of the National Park Dolomiti Bellunesi, to build a network of farmers and tourism actors bearing the mark of the park.

Source of Information: http://www.dolomitipark.it/it/dettaglio.php?id=23731 30/09/2013

more: http://www.tnp.si/spoznavati/C28/

Vincent is an artist and baker, Anne a midwife, Claude a lumberjack, Lucie a farmer and literature teacher, Pierre a ski patroller… Thirty-one portraits “of the Alps” have been sketched by teams of researchers and photographers who attended the gathering of the residents of the seven regions of the Ecrins National Park.
These “characters of height” reveal all the humanity at home in the area of the Park.

Realised in the form of visual and audio portfolios, and returned to the public in the form of “little multimedia works”, the portraits use the material collected by the Centre for Alpine Orality.

“The challenge was twofold: on the one hand, to build a fund of testimony of the residents about their relationships with the area, and on the other hand, to make Little Multimedia Objects , then called “POM” (from French “Petits Objets Multimedia”) to promote the distribution and exchange surrounding the ways of life in this area and the general perceptions about it” explains Claude Dautrey, in charge of Culture & Education at the Ecrins National Park.

This work was realised by the Ecrins National Park on the occasion of its 40th anniversary and the Centre for Alpine Orality under their collaboration on the topics of memories and orality. An exhibition put together at the Musée Dauphinois in Grenoble (F) (until 31st May 2014) but requested to be shown in the area, reports about the research and the production to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ecrins National Park.

To find out more visit:

• View the sound and photographic portraits.
• Read the interview with Claude Dautrey (Ecrins National Park) and Marc Mallen (Centre for Alpine Orality, General Council of the Hautes-Alpes) about the project (in French only).
• Detailed article (in French) on the Park’s website .