Le Réseau Alpin des Espaces Protégés
On Thursday April 11th, 2019, the new regional platform of the Alpine network ALPARC CENTR’ALPS was officially founded in Balderschwang, Nagelfluhkette Nature Park (DE). Directly linked by contract to the ALPARC network, the new platform has an association status based on German law.
The creation of a regional platform is based on the decisions of ALPARC’s last three General Assemblies, who decided to put in place a decentralized structure of ALPARC to guarantee concrete work on the ground, a closer proximity towards the managers of the protected areas and local initiatives. ALPARC CENTR’ALPS shares the same objectives and working axes of its “mother organization” and represents a concrete possibility for smaller protected areas and local managers of biodiversity and natural sites to join the network. Thanks to ALPARC CENTR’ALPS there will be an opportunity to gain access to more of the EU’s funding for the central region.
The 10 founding members include protected areas from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Swiss Park Network, the Federation of the Austrian Nature Park and the interactive natural museum Inatura located in Dornbin, Germany. The presidency of ALPARC CENTR’ALPS is assured by Peter Oggier, the current president of ALPARC and director of the Nature Park Pfyn-Finges.
To insure a regional presence of the Alpine network with regional contact points and to guarantee the proximity to the protected areas, ALPARC is planning to create a second regional platform in the south-eastern Alps (East of Italy or Slovenia). This will strengthen the network’s activities.
List of the 10 founding members of the ALPARC CENTR'ALPS:
The international photography contest “Fotografare il Parco” is now open for its 13th edition. The contest, organized by the Stelvio, Gran Paradiso, Abruzzo-Lazio-Molise and Vanoise National Parks, is a must do for any photographer passionate about mountain wildlife. Although these national parks may seem far from each other, they are all connected through their beauty, natural landscapes, and biodiversity of plants and animals. Participating in this event is an opportunity to enhance these protected areas, since the winners’ photos will be used in the parks’ exhibitions, publications, websites and social networks.
Participants can compete in four categories: The Park Landscape, The Park Wildlife, The Park Microcosmos and natural details, and The Park Plant World. For each category, photographers can send up to four photos either in color or in black and white. Winners will be awarded a cash prize in addition to stays in the national parks and a subscription to the to the magazine “La Rivista della Natura”.
Participation is free of charge and the contest will be open until September 30th, 2019. Participation rules can be found on the Fotografare il Parco website.
© photo: Renato Moggi