30 of April 2012: bear M13 were run over by a train

The bear M13 survived the collision with the train of Rhätischen Bahn (RhB). By this incident, the GPS transmitter, the bear was equipped with, destroyed.

2nd of May: bear may be evidenced in Oberengadin

Rangers of the national park could find traces of a bear in the area S-chanf at the 2nd of May. One day later, the 3rd of May, traces were also found in Bever. So for the first time a bear could have been seen in Oberengadin. Until now it is not for sure which bear has been sighted. It cannot be excluded that it was the bear M13, which is still in Unterengadin since his collision with the train.  

Communiqué de presse complet en allemand, 7 mai 2012

Suisse National Park  

 ALPARC is pleased to present the multivision "for the Alps", an audiovisual production built around more than 400 photographs painstakingly selected from the 10,000 shots taken and shortlisted by park officers in nearly 60 protected areas. These areas are represented by 20 management bodies who are full partners in this unique creative piece.

A plea “for the Alps”

“For the Alps” pays visual tribute to the diversity found in the Alps: landscapes, cultures, habitats, lifestyles, and the potential for creating links between these areas that are slowly being fragmented.
Like a sensible and aesthetic testimony, “for the Alps” is the basic of the dialog between local actors, protected areas administrator and visitors. The multivision takes the viewer on an unusual journey through the Alps, travelling from the lofty mountain heights to inhabited areas, from East to West, North to South. It is like being picked up and carried along at the will of the four winds.

Grand premiere !

The production will be premiered on 24 May 2012, the European Day of Parks. Twenty protected areas in six Alpine countries will screen the multivision production created by Alex Gordon Rowbotham and set to original music by Sandro di Stefano.
You can find all the projection events and further information at this link.

A common message of the Alpine protected areas

The multivision « for the Alps » is a joint project of ALPARC and around 20 managers or networks of Alpine protected areas.
From the 24 of May on, this common communication tool will be distributed by all 20 partners in their territory over the whole summer season and it will be subsequently placed at the disposal of all Alpine protected areas.

For further information, visit and see:

• The web page: multivision-alparc.org
• The trailer
• The press release and further technical information
• The agenda of the projection events
• or contact us directly: multivision@alparc.org

Since 2011 ALPARC’s postcard collection increased thanks to the creation of additional cards of the following protected areas:
- the Alpine Park Karwendel , Austria
- the 9 nature reserves in Haute-Savoie, managed by ASTERS in France
- the Chartreuse Regional Nature Park , France

In addition, we have dedicated a postcard to the mulivision show “For the Alps” . This card exists in five languages and will be distributed by the organisers during the multivision projection. On the postcard’s backside you will find a web link that allows you to see the multivision show online (the multivision will not be on disposal for the public in DVD format. That’s why we offer the web link to all spectators and visitors of the parks information centres for giving them the possibility to watch the show at home).

 The postcard collection has reached a high popularity among the public and shows in a simple but aesthetic way the diversity of the Alpine protected areas – not only each one individually but as well the connection within the network.

We would like to remind you, that all models of the postcards are available and free to print for all alpine protected areas.

 After several premiere screenings of the multimedia show "For the Alps" , presented by the project partners throughout the European Day of Parks on 24 May 2012 in Berchtesgaden, Bled, Bohinj, Cevo, Chambéry, Domodossola, Embrun, Leuk, Matrei in Osttirol, Mojstrana, Mölln, Nice, Sondrio, St.Gallen/Steiermark, Trenta, Varzo, Vezza d'Oglio, Verbania… further demonstrations are planned by the partners and their protected areas during the current summer season, sporadic events, as well as regular demonstrations in the visitor centers in the parks.

ALPARC will present the multivision show in Poschiavo, Switzerland, from 5 to 8 September 2012, as part of the AlpWeek 2012 and its General Assembly . Following these events the multivision will be provided for free to all Alpine protected areas of the network.

We invite you to consult the website for the multivision show , to be informed about the latest presentation of the show in your area.

For further information, visit and look at :
- the last article: The multivision “For the Alps”: an original and unique audiovisual event
- the press release and list of partners can be found at the bottom of the attached documents
- and http://multivision.alparc.org .

Are you interested to present the multivision? Just send us a message to: multivision@alparc.org 

 They glide... a few wing beats, they slip between the trees to complete their flight on a hilltop. The birds. What do you think, how do birds feel when they see the Alps, drifting by under their wings during their migration in spring and autumn?

Fly with us on your area and take the opportunity to get the knowledge about the Alpine protected areas with our tool ViViAlp!

The tool ViViAlp, a virtual tour (in 3D) of the alpine protected areas, continues its development.

After 4 years of success in nearly two dozen information centres across the 6 alpine countries and as well online with the Google Earth version, it is now possible to find new Alpine protected areas and new 'points of interest' (POI): The Natural Park Nagelfluhkette (D), ASTERS (Natural Reserves Haute-Savoie) and the National Park Mercantour in France and as well the Natural Park Alpi Marittime (I).

Our partners of the project ALPENCOM, in which project ViViAlp has been created, such as the National Park Triglav and the City of Chambéry , will also incorporate new points of interests.  

For more information please contact Stéphane Morel at the Task Force Protected Areas by email (stephane.morel@alparc.org) or phone : +33(0)4 79 26 55 09 or look at our homepage !

 Established in 2008, the Nagelfluhkette Nature Park brings together communities in the southern Allgäu and the Vorderer Bregenzerwald. It is the first nature park to span the border between Germany and Austria. The communities contained in the protected area are all located in the renowned Nagelfluhkette range. The massif is mainly composed of Nagelfluh, a conglomerate made from innumerable riverbed pebbles of varying sizes which have been compacted to form the rock. The most famous peak is the Hochgrat (1,834 m) which rears up more than 1,000 m above the surrounding valleys. The Nagelfluhkette Nature Park is home to many valuable species, including capercaillie, black grouse, golden eagles, white-backed woodpeckers and mountain apollos.

Because of the area's geological diversity, the deep soil layers can be both chalky and sandy. Consequently, the plant life is incredibly rich and varied. As well as Alchemilla cleistophylla (Allgäu lady's mantle), a plant endemic to the protected area, plant-lovers will find purple gentian, wood pinks and noble silver firs.
The Nagelfluhkette is an area of established, mature farmland which is surprisingly well preserved given its location on the edge of the northern Alps. This reflects the importance of agriculture, with around 400 farmers, many of whom use Alpine farming practices which have shaped the landscape. There is an unusually high proportion of grazing meadows on both sides of the border. 

 Alongside agriculture and forestry, tourism has been a mainstay of the area covered by the natural park for the last century. The 14 communities within the protected area have an impressive 20,000 beds on offer in hotels, guesthouses and holiday homes in order to cater for around 2.5 million overnight stays each year.

The new management body has a lot on its plate. The currently priorities are developing sustainable tourism products (top quality walking paths and networks of paths); setting up environmental education activities (programme of walks and field trips, information points); promoting sales of regional products (partnership scheme), and providing practical support for sustainable regional development. The management body is based in Oberstaufen, Germany, and is responsible for the whole nature park, including the parts in Austria. The management board and committees all contain representatives from both sides of the border which is beneficial for joint development projects.

Rolf Eberhard, director

Contact details:

  Naturpark Nagelfluhkette e.V.
Schloßstraße 8
D-87534 Oberstaufen
Tel. 0049 8386 9300 -328 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 0049 8386 9300 -328 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Fax. 0049 8386 9300 -339

www.nagelfluhkette.info

info@naturpark-nagelfluhkette.eu

Park's identity card

 Located in the Swiss cantons of Vaud and Fribourg, stretching from the Vaud riviera (Montreux) to Bulle, from Gstaad to Gruyères, the Gruyère Pays d'Enhaut Regional Natural Park is an unspoiled rural area in the foothills of the Alps but has also been a popular tourist destination since the 19th century.

Most of the park lies between 800m and 2,000m above sea level. It is home to a patchwork of villages, hamlets, meadows, summer grazing, mountainous areas and woodland. The park boasts a wealth of different landscapes, wildlife and plant life. Outstanding biotopes and geotopes bear witness to the unspoiled nature of the zones that are so vital for a rich variety of flora and fauna, including the Vanil Noir, Pierreuse, and Étivaz valley reserves, all of which are managed by the Pro Natura organisation.
Dairy farming is the mainstay of agriculture with around 230 farms in the area (over 26 million kilos per annum). There are three registered cheeses: L'Étivaz AOC, Gruyère AOC and Vacherin Fribourgeois AOC. The regional economy is built around tourism (ski resorts, sports and leisure, hotels and second homes) with a variety of focal points in the area.  

 The Parc naturel régional Gruyère Pays-d’Enhaut association was formed in February 2006 with the aim of creating and managing a regional natural park. The organisation had two founding principles: compliance with the federal decree requiring local authorities to have decision-making powers and a commitment to involving local stakeholders. Thus the local authorities have more to contribute in terms of coordination and replication whilst the agricultural, tourism and business sectors will be involved in practical actions and projects.

In order to qualify for the "park of national importance" label, the project will be officially registered in January 2011 when the charter setting out the size and geographic area of the Park, its financing, activities and objectives is lodged. The charter comprises three documents: the Park contract (setting out the financial and strategic links between the local authorities and the association: boundaries, organisational structure and mandate, local authority funding), a description of the Park area and the management plan for the operational phase (the ten-year period covered by the park label, effective from 2011), which combines a ten-year plan and a four-year action plan. 

  Gruyère Pays-d’Enhaut Regional Natural Park
Place du Village 6
CH – 1660 Château-d’Œx
Tel. +41 26 924 76 93
Fax. +41 26 924 79 97
info@pnr-gp.ch

www.pnr-gp.ch

Park's identity card

The Regional Nature Park Val Müstair (Switzerland)

 The Regional Nature Park Biosfera Val Müstair, UNESCO biosphere reserve since June 2010 (common with SNP) represents a sort natural of buffer zone for both of the old and important protected core zones of the National Parks Swiss and Stelvio/I. Since January 2011 it is recognized regional nature park of national importance.

This evolution is founded on a strong mobilization of its population, in which the acceptance of the nature Park was democratically approved in 2007 by 88%. One of the most important administrative steps was the unit of 6 municipalities since January 2009.

The various economic structures in Val Müstair are widespread; nevertheless tourism represents the highest potential of economic growth.

The intact landscape in Val Müstair offers a high quality of life. The river Rombach, one of the last free-flowing main valley rivers in Switzerland, and a high number of biologically-managed agricultural farms (80%) suggest a conscious and active cooperation of the valley inhabitants in the service of the natural resources. 

 The culture offer is also considerable: the internationally known UNESCO World Cultural Heritage St. Johann Monastery, an important number of museums and also the undamaged sites with the magnificent houses decorated with graffito are always a feast for the eyes for the visitor. The traditional language of Val Müstair is Romansch, to be precise “Jauer”. The language is officially spoken in everyday life and has remained alive up to the present.

AREVAIR IN VAL MÜSTAIR!
BIOSFERA…natüralmaing!

 BIOSFERA VAL MÜSTAIR

Center da Biosfera - Chasa Cumünala
7532 Tschierv
Tel. +41 (0)8 18 50 09 09
Fax +41 (0)8 18 50 13 13

E-Mail: info@biosfera.ch
Homepage: www.biosfera.ch

Further information:

Biosphere reserve Val Müstair

Swiss Federal Administration

Swiss Parks Network

  The Prealpi Giulie natural regional park extends across the territory of the villages of Resia, Resiutta, Chiusaforte, Lusevera, Venzone and Moggio Udinese within less than 100 km².
It includes the most elevated parts of the mountain ranges of the Plauris Mountain, Musi Mountains and the Canin Mountain, and slopes of altitude only in correspondence of the fraction of Povici and the Valley of the Mea stream.

These zones have been selected for their geological and natural importance, their landscape and as well the historical and cultural interest. They often present peculiar characters which are hardly founded anywhere else.
This is mostly owed to the fact that the protected area is in the intersection of three biogeographic areas (Alpine, Mediterranean and Illyric) but also to the border of the cultural Latin and Slavic worlds. 

  A particular specificity is represented in fact from the local communities settled in the Val Resia Valley and in the High Torre Valley have preserved their language and their traditions for centuries and contributed, with their laboriousness, to form the landscape of the territory of the protected area and its bordering zones.
“Stavoli”, “casere”, pathways, footbridges/catwalks, meadows and pastures constitute testimonies of a daily life, which has cohabited with the nature and moulded the territory day by day. Today it can be offered almost intact to the visitors and to the mountain lovers.

An important characteristic of the park is its transboundary vocation, which takes shape in the daily relationship with the Triglav National Park (Slovenia) but also, even if not so intense, with the National Park Nockberge (Austria). 

 In 2004 a project called ERA - Eco Regio Alpe Adria was launched in cooperation with these two parks. The aim of the project is to develop the cooperation in the sectors of the promotion of local products, of sustainable tourism and environmental education. One focus point is the school exchange project: every year children of local schools visit the other protected areas involved in the project.

To testify the strong connection with the Slovenian Park, the recognition from Europarc for a transboundary protected area arrived in 2009. This area, that includes the territories of the two parks and those of MAB Unesco Julian Alps in Slovenia as well. This area is called Julian Alps Ecoregion. 

An ambitious result but also an objective for the future is to look at the progressive strengthening of the relationship among these territories and at the extreme naturalistic importance among the oriental Alps, which isn’t considered by any political and administrative differences, just as already many times wished by Alparc. With the Alparc network a profitable relationship of partnership, that developed collaborations in almost all the subjects but particularly in environmental education and eco-balances, is established. Therefore a special steering group for eco-balances has been created and coordinated by the Park of the Prealpi Giulie in cooperation with the Friulian Dolomites and of the Orobie Valtellinesi .

 The Adamello Park covers an area of about 510 square kilometres on the Lombard side of the Adamello massif and along the valleys that descend from it as far as the Oglio river in Valle Camonica in the Province of Brescia.

The Park stands within the administrative areas of 19 Municipalities. About 6,000 people live within its limits. The running of the Park has been entrusted by the Lombardy Region to the Comunità Montana di Valle Camonica (Valle Camonica Territorial Community), based at Breno, which is where the Park’s administrative and technical offices are also located. 

The environment and landscape.

 The feature that impressively dominates the higher part of the Adamello is the presence of glaciers. Because of current climate change and the consequent retreat of glaciers in mountains throughout the world, leading to their reduction or even disappearance, the Adamello glacier has lost the imposing size it had at the start of the 18th century, but the spectacle it offers today is nevertheless awe-inspiring: the Adamello glacier is up to 250 metres deep.

The conditions of relative isolation and impenetrability of the Park’s northern valleys encourage the presence of fine and interesting fauna: ibex and chamois, red and roe deer, rock ptarmigan, black grouse and golden eagles live on the most inaccessible ledges and in the best-preserved parcels of forest. And bears too increasingly frequent the Park’s valleys, having extended their range from the neighbouring Adamello Brenta Park in the Trento Region, where they have been reintroduced. It is to be expected that wolves and lynxes will soon be reappearing too. 

About 40% of the Park is covered in wood and forest.

The most important forest on the Lombard side of the Adamello massif comprises a wide variety of species and conformations, influenced more by the slopes on which they grow and by the climate than by the composition of the soil or by human activity.

Within the Park, some drying houses and storerooms for chestnuts are still used and can often be visited, and there are also watermills where the chestnuts used to be ground to make flour. 

 The Valle Camonica is also famous for offering the greatest European concentration of prehistoric rock carvings: thousands of rocks carved over a period of over 6,000 years offer an account of the life of the Camunni people who lived in the valley in pre-Roman times.

The Valle Camonica is this too: nature and culture fused together to form a site of extraordinary importance right in the heart of the Alps, a “World heritage site” that remains to be discovered and valued to the full by many citizens of Europe.

Text by: Dario Furlanetto, Director of the Adamello NaturalPark

Name of protected area
Managing enterprise (if different)	Comunità montana di Valle Camonica
Country	Italy
Area (ha)	51.000 ha
Year of creation	1983
UICN category	V
Legal basis	Regional Park
Regions concerned	Lombardy
Number of municipalities	19
Lowest point (m)	m 390
Highest point (m)	m 3539
Population	6.000 inhabitants
Forest surface area	Ha 15.600
Glacier surface area	Ha 15.000
Pasture surface area	Ha 4.380
Prevailing landscape types	Deciduous and coniferous forest Rocks and scree Alpine pasture
Emblematic fauna	Ibex, chamois, bear, golden eagle, eagle owl, Western capercaillie, black grouse, rock ptarmigan, rock partridge.
Emblematic flora	Pinus uncinata, Pinus cembra, Genziana puntata, Primula daonensis, Leontopodium alpinum, Campanula raineri, Vaccinum microcarpum, Lycopodiella inondata, Andromeda polifonia, Drosera angelica, Artemisia genepì, Cypripedium calceolus.
Major tourist attractions	Ponte di Legno - Tonale ski area, Prehistoric rock carvings of Capo di Ponte and at Unesco 94 site, Boario Spa.
Information centre(s) (number, name, themes)	Vezza d’Oglio, Via Nazionale 132 – postcode 25059 - tel 0364/76165 Saviore dell’Adamello, Via Adamello 8 -postcode 25050 - tel 0364/634145 Centro Faunistico and CRAS di Paspardo, località Flesso – 25050 tel. 392/9276538
Internet site	www.parcoadamello.it
Number of employees	9 people
Access BY CAR	from Milan, take the SS 42 road to Passo del Tonale; from Bolzano, take the SS 42 to the Passo del Tonale; from Brescia, take the SP 510 as far as Pisogne, then continue on the SS 42. BY TRAIN: from Brescia with the Trenord Brescia – Edolo service.

 The nature park Weißbach is situated between Loferer, Leoganger and Reiter Steinbergen in the region of Salzburg (A) and is bounded to the nature reserve “Northern Kalkhochalpen” on the Salzburg side and to Bavaria by the national park and, respectively, by the biosphere reserve Berchtesgaden .

In 2011, the XI Alpine Conference nominated this alliance of the protected areas „Berchtesgaden-Salzburg” as a pilot region for the ecological Alpine network. The trans-boundary cooperation between protected areas is an important aspect and is shown in various projects like cross-border hiking events or common design of information points in the border area.  

The nature park and its alpine pastures

 Next to the natural monument Seisenbergklamm, the significant landscape elements are different types of mountain forest, Alpine pastures and rock heaps.

In this landscape mosaic of the nature park, which was created in 2007, you can find many species, partly protected, of animals and plants as various types of gentian and orchids (yellow gentian as the basis for the traditional Kallbrunner gentian schnapps), different butterfly species (Apollo) or the Golden Eagle.

The Alpine pastures are farmed for more than 600 years and are the fundament of local products and sustainable tourist offers. Characteristic for this region are the agricultural communities of Bavarian farmers and those of the Salzburg area. In cooperation with the nature park, they developed the information point on the Alpine pasture Kallbrunn and guided theme hikes. Furthermore the community offers culinary events as the Alpine pasture cheese Kallbrunn.  

Next to the awareness raising measures as the visitors program and a nature workshop, the association of the nature park Weissbach strengths, since 2011, the cooperation with its disseminators. Local and organic farmers, selected by special criteria, support the idea of the Nature Park and use the weekly market day, established in January 2012, as a communication platform between producers and consumers.

Park's identity card

The Alpine Park Karwendel encompasses almost all of the Karwendel range. Extending over 727 km², the park is the largest protected area in the state of Tyrol and Austria's largest nature park. The area’s exceptional conservation value was recognised very early on. Tyrol’s oldest protected area first came into being when the central section of the Karwendel massif was made a conservation area back in 1928. The climate and topography have endowed the Karwendel range with an unusually high number of natural habitats such as ancient woodlands and wild rivers (Isar and Rißbach).

The massif is also home to a wide variety of species. Many typical Alpine flora and fauna are very common here, including golden eagles, sandpipers and German tamarisk (Mycaria germanica). The Karwendel range has been a destination for Alpine tourists for over 130 years and receives around one million visitors every year. 

 Traditional farming practices – including Alpine dairy farming, forest management and hunting –play a vital role and have been an integral part of the region's identity for centuries.

The role of the park management

The park management body is an essential factor in making formal conservation commitments issues a reality on the ground for regional stakeholder. To this end, the Alpine Park Karwendel Association (Verein Alpenpark Karwendel) was created in January 2008, a body which brings together the federal state of Tyrol, all the relevant local authorities, tourism federations, the Austrian Federal Forests service, chambers of agriculture and the Austrian Alpine Club. The park’s activities focus on: 

• Conservation
• Visitor facilities and management
• Environmental education and natural sciences

The top priority for conservation is maintaining natural rhythms and diversity in the Alps. Projects designed to do that include establishing reserves of ancient woodland, maintaining natural wild watercourses, returning the Karwendel marshes in the Achen valley to their natural state, and the Rißtal sandpiper conservation programme.  

 Interactions between visitors and the park are intended to develop awareness and a love of Nature, thereby ensuring its preservation. Visitors can learn about the Alpine Park Karwendel at the Hinterriß visitor centre and can also take part in a variety of organised activities. Four park rangers are always out and about in the park during the summer with a view to encouraging contact between visitors and locals.

A wide-ranging environmental education programme has been developed as part of the park's natural sciences education activities, with courses lasting anything from half a day to five days. The courses look at key issues in the Karwendel park: biodiversity, water, life in the high mountains, Alpine dairy farming, forest management and more.