La Rete delle Aree Protette Alpine
Identifying the Strategic Alpine Connectivity Areas (SACA) and proposing some concrete actions to safeguard their role for an Alpine ecological network – that is one of the main challenges facing the ALPBIONET2030 project.
During the project Mid-term Conference that took place on 2nd and 3rd July 2018 in the Berchtesgaden Project Working Region (PWR), first results of the mapping of these areas were presented to the interested audience (online access to GIS tool Jecami https://2030.jecami.eu/viewer/saca/). An excursion in the region offered the opportunity to get an idea of what different types of SACA could look like – and how to conserve or improve their functionality regarding ecological connectivity. Knowing what to do and where to implement the actions is a crucial step for preserving ecological connectivity in an Alpine context – but the support of local stakeholders and the local population is also a determining success factor for all activities.
Spreading the word on ecological connectivity
Different communication tools developed by the project partners make it possible for a wider public to familiarize themselves with the topic and get a feeling of the importance of inter-connected habitats: a picture quiz illustrating ecological connectivity in a landscape context here, exciting online games (https://2030.jecami.eu/) or a short video introducing some features of the project.
ALPARC has selected the Austrian provinces of Styria and Carinthia and their parks for this second exchange event as part of the Destination Parks project. In particular, regional tourism strategies with a focus on protected area tourism as well as cooperation with tourism associations and tourism service providers should be in the foreground. With the insights into the tourism work of the nature park management in both federal states, product development and marketing will also be addressed.
Download the programme below.
The International Observation Day (IOD) for bearded vultures have started in 2006 and consist in a one-day simultaneous count of bearded vultures across the whole Alpine arc, organised by the International Bearded Vulture Monitoring network (IBM), which is coordinated by the VCF. Since 2012, bearded vultures are also counted in the Massif Central in France, in Aude in the French Pyrenes and since 2017 the IOD have also expanded to Andalusia, Spain.
This year´s count is on the 6th October 2018.All over the Alps, the Massif Central, the department Aude and Andalusia, people will spend the day in the mountain and keep an eye on the bearded vultures and count them.
This count allows for a thorough monitoring of the bearded vulture population status and distribution in the Alps. Furthermore, the count produces many sightings of identifiable birds, thus generating baseline data for survival analyses and demographic modelling. Besides the valuable information about the dynamics of the reintroduced population, the IODs also play an important role in creating public awareness for the project.
This event has become an important date for ornithologist and bird-watchers, who are fascinated by this large bird species. The number of volunteer observers has been growing every year: last year over 920 participants logged in almost 530 bearded vulture observations.Crossing the observation data with expert knowledge about the presence of territorial and tagged birds, last year the bearded vulture population size in the Alps has been estimated to be between 208 and 251 birds. For the Massif Central 6 birds have been counted, 5 in Aude and between 22 and 33 in Andalusia. Among the observed birds last year 12% were identified as juveniles, 15% as immature, 4% as subadult and 59% as adult birds. Furthermore, it was possible to identify individually 70 bearded vultures, thus providing us valuable information on their life history.
If you are interested in participating in the International Observation Day, please contact the regional coordinators below or the International Bearded Vulture Monitoring network (IBM) for any other question:
Austria - ferdinand.lainer@salzburg.gv.at
France – Haute-Savoie: etienne.marle@asters.asso.fr
France - Mercantour: monique.perfus@mercantour-parcnational.fr
France – Vanoise: jerome.cavailhes@vanoise-parcnational.fr
France - Écrins: christian.couloumy@gmail.com
France - Grands Causses: lea.giraud@lpo.fr
France - Vercors: benoit.betton@pnr-vercors.fr
France - Les Baronnies: gypaete@vautoursenbaronnies.com
France – Aude: yves.roullaud.aude@lpo.fr
Italy - Stelvio: enrico.bassi76@gmail.com
Italy - Aosta: c.chioso@regione.vda.it
Italy - Alpi Marittime: fabiano.sartirana@parcoalpimarittime.it
Spain – Andalusia: prodriguez@gypaetus.org
Switzerland: franziska.loercher@swild.ch
The IBM is partially funded by their partners, and by funding contributions from the EU LIFE Fund through the LIFE GypConnect and LIFE GypHelp, as well as the MAVA foundation.
Last July 2018 two new areas were recognised as UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Italy: the Valle Camonica – Alto Sebino Biosphere Reserve and the Ticino, Val Grande Verbano Biosphere Reserve, which has been extended. This is an important step towards the promotion of solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use.
The Valle Camonica – Alto Sebino Biosphere Reserve is located in Lombardy and includes also some territory of the Parco dell’ Adamello. The area is characterized by typical Alpine and pre-Alpine valleys, ranging from valley bottom landscapes to the highest peaks of Europe and the Adamello Glacier, and ending in Lake Iseo, one of Italy’s largest basins.
The Val Ticino Biosphere was created in 2002. Last July it was extended to include the Val Grande Verbano area. The area is located in the north of Italy, at the meeting point of the culturally rich regions of Lombardy and Piedmont. The enlarged Biosphere also includes territories of the Val Grande National Park, areas close to Lake Maggiore and its municipalities as far as the Swiss border. The reserve functions as an important ecological corridor within the urbanized and industrialized Po plain.
The main role of the UNESCO Biosphere reserves is to harmonize conservation of biological and cultural diversity and economic and social development through partnerships between people and nature. In general, the UNESCO Biosphere reserves play a key role in the transition to green development, in particular for sustainable tourism.
For further information: http://www.parcovalgrande.it/novdettaglio.php?id=49123
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/
The Conference "Make Climate Visions Become Reality" will take place on 7th and 8th November 2018 in Innsbruck/A. It is organised jointly by Alliance in the Alps, Alpine Town of the Year and CIPRA International.
It is a unique opportunity for actors at local level from all over the Alps to engage together in climate action. In this occasion, will be lauched the “Alpine Partnership for Local Climate Action” .
For further information please visit: https://alpenallianz.org/en/events/conference-make-climate-visions-become-reality
The 2nd EUSALP Annual Forum will take place on 20 and 21 November 2018 in the heart of the Alps at the Congress Innsbruck. The event, jointly organised by the Tyrolean EUSALP Presidency and the European Commission Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, will address the motto "shaping.future.together. with the next generation".
For further information and registrations please visit the page: https://www.alpine-region.eu/news/registration-2nd-annual-forum-eu-strategy-alpine-region-open
Alliance dans les Alpes France organise un voyage d'etude sur la thématique " Quelles transitions pour nos territoires alpins? " du 12 au 14 Septembre 2018 de Guillestre (Hautes-Alpes) à Ostana (Italie). Ce sera l'occasion de s'interronger et échanger sur les diverses transitions (écologique, économique, sociale et sociétale) qui prennent place dans les territoires alpins. Les réflexions prendront une dimension européenne et s’appuieront sur les possibilités offertes par l’Europe pour les territoires alpins. Une partie du voyage se déroulera dans le village italien d’Ostana qui est devenu un exemple en matière de transitions.
Pour plus de reinsegnements et inscriptions cliquer ici
GaYA's Youth Participation Toolbox was developed to answer the question on how to effectively engage young people in decision-making processes for the future of the Alps. It was created in the frame of the Interreg Alpine Space project GaYA - Governance and Youth in the Alps. The Toolbox highlights different approaches of youth participation to meet the needs of both young people and politicians. It also addresses the need to adapt the participatory process to the local level.
Therefore, GaYA's Youth Participation Toolbox provides insights, clarify terms and concepts, showcase participatory methods, inspire and motivate. The toolbox presents a selection of case studies, with templates and cards to create your own participation processes and to suggest solutions to some frequent problems.
The toolbox and its contents can be downloaded at :
www.alpine-space.eu/projects/gaya/en/project-results/participation-toolbox
The official press release in all the alpine languages is available here:
The National Park Val Grande together with the Ente di Gestione delle Aree Protette dell'Ossola organise a conference focused on the role of the natural parks in mountain areas called :
" I parchi naturali per una nuova etica della montagna" the 20th of October 2018.
Further information available soon at : http://www.parcovalgrande.it/
Per il settimo anno consecutivo il mese di giugno in Valle Camonica sarà interamente dedicato alla riflessione sul tema di Alpi e sostenibilità attraverso gli assi portanti di ambiente, società, economia. Torna la Fiera della Sostenibilità nella Natura Alpina, il contenitore di eventi e iniziative del Parco dell'Adamello - Comunità Montana di Valle Camonica con le aree protette di Rete Natura di Valle Camonica e la collaborazione del Distretto Culturale di Valle Camonica e Sapori di Valle Camonica.
Sunrise on a bright autumn day in a mountain nature reserve, somewhere in the Swiss Alps. Several chamois and ibex graze about in a pasture above the tree line. But suddenly, there is a movement and a noise in the sky and all the animals disperse within seconds. What just happened? Out of nowhere, a small multicopter appears along the mountain ridge, probably to film the vertiginous view from the heights.
Small flying devices known as drones are equipped with high performance photo or video cameras as well as a lot of other technical equipment are seen more often in mountainous areas, including the Alpine Protected Areas. Their presence brings about a great risk of disturbing wildlife. This is something that needs to be accounted for in protected area management by those who are responsible for conservation areas. On the other hand, this new and innovative technology offers a large variety of interesting tools and possibilities to facilitate the day-to-day work of protected areas managers when used in a responsible way.
ALPARC held an international conference from March 26th-27th, 2018 in Dobbiaco (It) on the opportunities and threats that the use of drones poses in protected areas. It was an opportunity to hear about the current use of and experience with this new technology in Alpine Protected Areas. Indeed, several protected areas are already using drones for vegetation mapping, remote sensing activities, and the development of 3D elevation modeling or technical interventions in inaccessible areas. An expert for a British research institute presented “guidelines of good practice of drone use” developed in an international context for another highly sensitive area, Antarctica.
During the conference, three roundtable discussions offered the possibility to exchange on the prospects of the use of drones for conservation communication issues, to discuss the multiple legal situations in the Alpine countries and to imagine possible developments in drone robotics adapted to specific (research) needs in protected areas. Finally, the prospect of a common Alpine guideline on the use of drones in sensitive protected natural areas was discussed by the conference delegates.
Conference presentations can be found here.
The delegates of the ALPARC conference on drones in protected areas watching a flying demonstration. Picture taken by a drone.
© Michael Schmalzl, Alpsvision GmbH/s.r.l.
The 5th international Workshop on “Mountain-oriented Education in Alpine Protected Areas” will take place from 3 to 5 October 2018 in Trenta, Triglav National Park, Slovenia.
Are you an educator in a protected area? Do you coordinate a park’s education activities? Come and get new input on thematical and methodological approaches in outdoor education! This international meeting is the opportunity to share and connect with other colleagues from all over the Alpine territory to enrich your daily work!
Downolad the programme and the logistical information below.
ALPARC organises the workshop in partnership with the Triglav National Park.
