AlpsLife / 2024-2027

AlpsLife

Protect Alpine Life by monitoring and managing Alpine biodiversity for the future : “Observing globally, acting locally”.

The Alps are a global biodiversity hotspot threatened by climate and land-use change. Additionally, the lack of Alpine-wide coordination reduces the effectiveness of conservation efforts. The main challenge arises from the variety of biodiversity monitoring schemes existing at different levels in different Alpine countries. Coherent ecological indicators are key for defining priority areas and to support decision-making processes.

The AlpsLife project promotes science-based strategies for preserving and restoring Alpine biodiversity. Relying on EU-wide relevant indicators, it combines existing biodiversity monitoring schemes and data sources to ensure the interoperability of results at the Alpine level. The outputs are then checked on the ground and adjusted to the policy needs of the Alpine countries. This allows for a better understanding of Alpine biodiversity trends and the implementation of appropriate cross-border management measures.

To achieve its goals, the partnership involves scientific institutions such as Eurac, the University of Innsbruck and ISPRA; the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (ALPARC); Cipra Lab; a French conservation association; and six Alpine national parks.

Overall objective

AlpsLife promotes a common understanding of biodiversity processes at the Alpine level. It establishes a framework to ensure interoperability of different datasets and monitoring scheme, facilitating cross-national strategies for biodiversity conservation.

Project Partners:

• Eurac Research (IT, Lead Partner)
• University of Innsbruck (AT)
• ALPARC – the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (FR)
• CIPRA International Lab GmbH (AT)
• ISPRA - Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (IT)
• Berchtesgaden National Park Administration (DE)
• Triglav National Park (SI)
• Gesäuse National Park (AT)
• Asters, Haute-Savoie Conservatory of Natural Spaces (FR)
• Gran Paradiso National Park (IT)
• Swiss National Park (CH)
• ERSAF - Stelvio National Park (IT)

Countries: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland

Goals:

• Enable a better understanding of Alpine biodiversity status and trends.
• Promote science-based strategies for preserving and restoring biodiversity, facilitating transnational strategies.
• Integrate project results into management measures of Alpine protected areas and into the strategies of regional/national stakeholders in the long run.

Activities:

• Creating a set of biodiversity relevant geographical variables at the Alpine level.
• Developing a methodology for the interoperability and comparability of biodiversity from different monitoring schemes.
• Elaborating the concept of an “Early Warning System” for Alpine biodiversity.
• Establishing a network of pilot monitoring areas of Alpine biodiversity based on agreed protocols and species indicators.
• Performing a stakeholder and governance analysis for biodiversity monitoring at the Alpine national and macroregional level.
• Creating a tool kit with technical and political recommendations about the interoperability of indicators developed by the project, and their utility to meet multi-level targets.

Target Groups:

• National Park administrations and rangers.
• National and regional public authorities for the environment, agriculture, spatial planning
• Transalpine organisations (Alpine Convention, EUSALP)
• Research institutions and organisations involved in biodiversity monitoring, nature restoration and conservation

Project Duration: September 2024 - August 2027

Total project budget: 2.916.176,40 €

Programme funding: 2.082.132,30 €

This project is co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Alpine Space programme, which supports cross-border cooperation projects between seven Alpine countries.

Contact: Guido Plassmann guido.plassmann@alparc.org - Michelle Geringer michelle.geringer@alparc.org - Pietro Merzi pietro.merzi@alparc.org