We are happy to announce that this summer the official ALPARC site has been completely redesigned. This will enable all its users to enjoy better-structured and more easily-readable information; at the same time it highlights the activities of the Alpine Protected Areas and their network.
Please note: some features are still being updated and we welcome all your contributions or remarks.

Still with the aim of improving communication within the ALPARC network, an ALPARC Facebook page was also activated this summer. With this tool, which complements the “News” and “Events” features of the Internet site, we wish to contribute to strengthening and boosting links and communication between the Alpine Protected Areas, its members and partners of ALPARC.
We invite you to follow us on the social network by clicking “I like” on our page.
In parallel, ALPARC actively follows the Facebook pages of all the Alpine Protected Areas, members of the association and partners who have them.
So please don’t hesitate to take an active part in our page by sharing your comments and your thoughts!

The case of Daniza the bear has revived the debate about the cohabitation of humans and large predators in Italy, as in the other alpine countries.
This summer Daniza became sadly notorious after wounding a man who was observing her cubs, aged of 8 months, in the forest of Pinzolo, Trentino (IT). Following this, the administration of the Province of Trento ordered her capture for reasons of public safety. On 10th September, the bear died after being anaesthetized to allow her to be captured. Daniza, 19 years of age, had been introduced into the Trentino Mountains in 2000, in the framework of a project financed by the European Union and named “Life Ursus”. Since then she had given birth to 17 cubs. Between 40 and 49 brown bears, a “particularly protected species” in Italy, live in the mountainous areas between the Trentino area and nearby areas. This therefore has shown the success of the project in biological terms.

The cohabitation of humans and predators still controversial

Throughout the summer the debate on the fate of the bear was very heated, in the press as well as in public opinion and specialized associations. People rallied on an unprecedented scale in support of the bear, especially on the social networks in Italy (for example : Io sto con Daniza – “I am with Daniza” ). This case shows once again how controversial the question of cohabitation between humans and predators remains and how the management of these species (bears, wolves and lynx in the Alps) can raise serious problems in many ways. 

Finding solutions together

It is clear that joint work between the different Alpine Protected Areas, the institutions concerned and associations specialized in this theme is fundamental. This work must be carried out taking into account the fact that in a heavily populated mountain range like the Alps, there has to be an active management of the large carnivores which has the conservation of these vital species of bears, wolves and lynx as its clear aim.
To this effect, ALPARC has already worked on this subject in the past within the framework of its “large predators” working group and is always ready to pursue or resume work with administrators in order to find solutions to the problems related to the management of large predators and their cohabitation with humans.
Some years ago the Alpine Convention set up a “Large Predators Platform” with the aim of finding solutions based on an integrated approach for the concrete management of large predators. This Platform aims to take into account not only the ecological aspects of the problem, but also its economic and social aspects.

To find out more click here

The 20th edition of the Danilo Re Memorial will take place from Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th January 2015 in St. Jakob in Defereggental, in the Hohe Tauern National Park, Tyrol, Austria, as officially announced by Ingrid Felipe, the Vice-President of the Land of Tyrol, on 17 March 2014 in Innsbruck. This will also be the venue for the 2nd General Assembly of the ALPARC association and the first festive event in the context of the 20th anniversary of the Alpine Network of Protected Areas.

As is the custom, during the sports competition the teams from the Protected Areas will compete in the following 4 disciplines:

These meetings will also be an opportunity to exchange views during a seminar around a theme linked to the work of the park rangers, and will, as always, give rise to useful meetings and convivial exchanges between the participants from the 6 Alpine countries!

To enable you to have greater live access to this event, be informed about the rules, inscriptions and programme, we have revamped the Internet site with a new design and new features. All useful information will shortly be available at this link: http://www.alparc.org/danilore/

As a complement to the Internet page, the Hohe Tauern National Park has also opened a Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/MemorialTrofeoDaniloRe

Please don’t hesitate to give your opinion and share the page with your contacts.
We hope that you will be among those taking part next year!

The two year greenAlps project (2013-2014), financed by the EU Alpine Space programme enters at the final phase.
The analysis of the results from former Alpine Space projects linked to the topic of biodiversity, a review of European environmental policies, interviews with stakeholders in the pilot areas and during international workshops and further project activities, have enabled the project partners to start identifying and picturing important conclusions to improve biodiversity conservation in the Alps.

A series of recommendations for policy makers is currently formulated, for example the fact that the principal focus within the EU and its Member States is still on (“green”) economic growth and the value of ecosystem services is in this context under-appreciated. The project partners state that Ecosystem services-based approaches could offer new impulses, but to be accepted they need to offer local stakeholders direct economic benefits. Furthermore the project proved again that the work with pilot regions is essential to better understand and integrate issues coming from the ground and to develop tools or procedures responding to concrete problems. 

A complete overview about the project results will be given at the greenAlps final conference that will take place in Chambéry (France) from 13th to 15th October 2014.
The project reports will be available by the end of the year. They will also include some suggestions to the Alpine Space Program authorities on how to improve the positive impact of European projects on biodiversity conservation.

Take part in the greenAlps final conference from 13 – 15 October 2014 in Chambéry / France!
Deadline for registration is the 30th September 2014.
Download the programme and fill the registration form online

Next year, ALPARC will already be celebrating 20 years of existence. Founded in 1995 by France and its Alpine regions, the Alpine Network of Protected Areas has become one of the most concrete and recognized tools of the Alpine Convention.

Since the setting up of the network in 1995 and with the participation of administrators of all types of alpine protected areas, ALPARC has set up hundreds of meetings , projects and concrete achievements ,not only in the  field of biodiversity , notably that of the alpine ecological network, but also in that of regional development of the protected areas and communication .Several important European projects have been carried out with the involvement of the largest protected areas of the Alps, international research institutions, ministers and non-governmental organizations.    

Today the network has become an association with an international vocation, having been first attached to the Ecrins National Park, then to the permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention.   More than 40 structures administrating protected areas have become members, representing more than 100 protected areas among the most important of the alpine Arc. These members form the hard core of the network. Nevertheless, all alpine Arc protected areas are invited to take an active part in the joint activities within the ALPARC network and to become members of the association in order to work “Together for the Alps”.   

In addition to carrying out projects on the important environmental themes, the 2014-2015 programme plans many opportunities for exchanges between administrators as well as concrete achievements in communication, such as the recently-produced Multivision DVD “For the Alps”, which will be shown at the universal exposition in Milan in 2015.

The programme of the work in progress is well under way and aims to strengthen cooperation with the permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention. The preparations for the next General Assembly in Austria (Hohe Tauern, 23rd January 2015)*, which will open the anniversary year 2015, have begun. New themes, which will be decisive for the protected areas in the years to come, are being tackled within the network. An example of these is the setting up process of an alpine macro region**, in which the parks and nature reserves of the Alps will have an important role to play not only in the safeguard of biodiversity , but also in proposing new models and ways of promoting economic development. We invite all the protected areas to join us during this anniversary year during one or several of the proposed events, in order to strengthen the role of each protected area in its own country and within the ALPARC network.

Guido Plassmann
Director of ALPARC

Read the complete article at this link  

(*in conjunction with the traditional  Danilo Re  Memorial,  meeting and  competition for field workers of the alpine protected areas , which will also celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2015)

(**a public enquiry has been set up into this issue and is still accessible until 15th October at the following link: http://www.alpine-region.eu/index.html)

The 11th edition of the ForumAlpinum

will focus on valorization, use and management of Alpine resources from local to macroregional scale, regrading four main aspects: Alpine branding; the use of Alpine resources from past to present; the use of Alpine resources from present to future; and governance of Alpine resources. Finally, the use of local resources has to be discussed in the context of an Alpine macroregion. All these aspects will be deepened by workshops.

Organisation: ISCAR & Université of Milan / Val.te.mo

Support: Consiglio Nazionale dei Ministri, Regione Lombardia

Programme and registration: http://www.forumalpinum.org

From 10th  to 11th  September 2014, protected areas managers and scientists discussed the role of protected areas to document the climate changes on alpine biodiversity at  the ALPARC international workshop  at  the Gran Paradiso National Park (IT) .

The visitor center of the Gran Paradiso National Park in the ancient Grand Hotel in Ceresole Reale was an imposing setting for the ALPARC Workshop, organized with the Gran Paradiso National Park on “Monitoring biodiversity transformation to document climate change impacts in alpine protected areas”. From 10th to 11th of September 2014 the Workshop brought together around thirty experts and scientists from the different alpine Countries.

The presentations clearly showed the importance and the broadness of the topic of biodiversity monitoring in regard to the process of climate change.
The examples presented in the indoor session, pictured well diversity of monitoring possibilities and methodologies: flora (ex. monitoring network for Caricion bicoloris atrofuscae) and fauna (ex. methods for bird monitoring in Bavarian Alps) but also lakes (Lacs sentinelles) and plant phenology (e-Pheno). Furthermore an historical excursus illustrated the use of historic records from the early alpine botanists to documents climate change impacts.  

The speakers and discussion highlighted the need of international cooperation in the field of the climate change impacts and biodiversity. Protected areas play a particular role and can act as laboratories for this kind of research as they dispose of trained staff for observations and samplings, good infrastructure to facilitate the monitoring duty and a long term visibility for the monitoring plots.

The outdoor session was the occasion for a demonstration of the monitoring protocol developed by various Italian parks and scientists to monitor animal biodiversity in mountain ecosystems. The Gran Paradiso National Park Rangers made this event memorable not only because of the scientific and technical quality of this field excursion but also thanks to their extraordinary polenta served in the spectacular setting of the ancient hunting cabin of King Victor Emmanuel II.

Below the PowerPoint presentations shown during the Workshop « Monitoring biodiversity transformation to document climate change impacts in alpine protected areas”.
Please note that the presentation of Sonja Wipf is not online. If you are interested in the presentation, please contact directly the author at : sonja.wipf (at) slf.ch

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

The ALPARC Workshop “Monitoring biodiversity transformation to document climate change impacts in alpine protected areas” will take place in the Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy) the 10th and 11th of September 2014.

Target public: Staff in charge of biodiversity conservation management and monitoring in the Alpine protected areas.

Language of the meeting: English

Programme: The aim of this workshop is to present and discuss different monitoring protocols to assess changes of biodiversity in alpine ecosystems linked to global warming effects in order to identify possible synergies for a closer cooperation and exchange of information among alpine protected areas.
Among other, the Italian biodiversity monitoring programme used in the Gran Paradiso National Park will be presented and its application demonstrated during a field trip.   

REGISTRATION IS OPEN:
Please find below the registration form and practical information for download. Send back your registration form to ALPARC before August, 27th.

Contact: yann.kohler[at]alparc.org  +33 (0)4 79 26 55 07 

At the international Museum "Micheletti Award" a great success was reached for the new National Park Centre less than a year after its opening: 3rd place for the "Haus der Berge"! Its boss Ulrich Brendel (r.) received the award at the Riverside Museum in Glasgow / Scotland by the chairman of the international jury, Dr. Charles Borromeo Murr (2nd from left).

The first prize went to the Science Museum "MUSE" (Museo delle Scienze) in the Italian town of Trento. The "Micheletti Award" is an award for innovative and contemporary exhibitions and museums in Europe and is awarded annually by an independent commission.

Source: Press release of the National Park Berchtesgaden on 12/05/2014

Credit (Credit: National Park Berchtesgaden) awards Micheletti Award.jpg

Das UNESCO-Welterbe Schweizer Alpen Jungfrau-Aletsch hat bereits ab dem 18. Jahrhundert die Menschen in der Region und Gäste aus aller Welt inspiriert.

Mit der Welterbe-Woche vom 30. September bis 04. Oktober 2014 wollen wir die Schönheit der Natur und deren Einfluss auf die Menschheit in den Fokus stellen. Bei vier geführten Exkursionen in die Welterbe-Region und dem Welterbe-Treff erleben Sie die grossartige Natur und erfahren von Experten, wie die Natur früher und heute das Handeln des Menschen beeinflusst.

Die gesamte Bevölkerung ist dazu herzlich eingeladen. Machen Sie mit und lassen Sie sich inspirieren!

Alle Informationen finden Sie hier

Quelle: UNESCO Welterbe Schweizer Alpen Jungfrau-Aletsch

The ALPARC Board

The Board is one of ALPARC’s executive bodies. It is responsible for the administration and financial management of the ALPARC coordination unit and is chaired by a President, two vice presidents, a treasurer and a general secretary. Board members are elected every four years by the ALPARC Council.

Board members:

The ALPARC Council

The ALPARC Council defines the main missions and actions of the association on an intra-regional level. To represent the diversity of the region, the Council is made up of Alpine Protected Area managers from the Alpine countries. Council members represent the interests and priorities of protected areas and are actively involved in decision-making processes.

Council members:

	President Peter Oggier Director of the Pfyn-Finges Nature Park Switzerland		Vice-President Christian Schwoehrer Director of ASTERS, Conservatoire d’espaces naturels de Haute-Savoie France		Vice-President Andrea Beltrame President of the Prealpi Giulie Nature Park Italy
	General Secretary Roland Baier Director of National Park Berchtesgaden Germany		Treasurer Barbara Pucker Director of the Hohe Tauern/Kärnten National Park Austria
	Julia Friedlmayer Director of the Network of Austrian Nature Parks Austria		Josef Forstinger Director of the Kalkalpen National Park Austria
	Ludovic Schultz Director of Les Ecrins National Park France		Olivier Putot Director of the Vercors Regional Natural Park France		Xavier Eudes Director of the Vanoise National Park France
	Luigi Spadone Director of the Val Grande National Park Italy		Astrid Wiedenhofer South Tyrolian Nature Parks Italy		Daniele Stellin Mont Avic Nature Park Italy
	Anna Weber Head of Forest and Landscape Department Office for the Environment Principality of Liechtenstein		Astrid Claudel Rusin Head of Sustainable Development Division Environment Department Principality of Monaco
	Dominique Weissen Director of the Swiss Parks Network Switzerland		Ruedi Haller Director of the Swiss National Park Switzerland		Tit Potočnik Triglav National Park Slovenia

Roselyne Anselmet died Saturday 23th of August falling from a rock during her work on the fauna census. 
Since 1982, Roselyne  was a ranger of the Vanoise National Park (France) and she used  to work in the village of Bonneval-sur-Arc. Roselyne has been one of the first women taking part in the park ranger team.
It is the fourth death for work of a park ranger in the Vanoise in fifty years.
The protected area community, ALPARC’s  team  and members and all the alpine rangers  are deeply touch by the tragic death of Roselyne Anselmet.

During the 2015 edition of the “Danilo Re Memorial”,  Roselyne  Anselmet  will be honored  with a special celebration.

Source : read the article and the Vanoise National Park press release, in French