It was in 2007 that the Danube River protected areas first stressed the importance of  Danube-wide cooperation. The fall of the Iron Curtain and the extension of the European Union around the same time had changed the political map of South East Europe. The door was open for international cooperation;  at the same time the dynamic development of the economy in that region and the increasing pressure on the natural treasure of the Danube created a desperate need for shoulder to shoulder cooperation in the field of conservation.

In a statement of intent the setting up of a network of the Danube River Protected Areas was expressed as a common goal: for the development and implementation of a Danube-wide strategy of conservation, to establish a Danube-wide voice for conservation, but also to strengthen each individual protected area through transnational exchanges of experience. In this construction phase, the Danube River Protected Areas was already drawing benefit from  the experience of ALPARC: there were motivating discussions and experiences were exchanged  about the challenges raised by transnational cooperation.

In 2009 DANUBEPARKS  was officially established. Today the network includes 20 protected areas in almost every country along the Danube  (Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Germany). Danube-wide projects in the fields of riverside woodland management, fluvial dynamics, river restoration, species protection and nature tourism were implemented and made DANUBEPARKS  a “flagship project” of the EU Danube region strategy. DANUBEPARKS sees as its next priority the strengthening of the Danube as a habitat corridor. Here again it is useful to look at the Alpine region ; after all, the network of Alpine protected areas have an examplary project in ECONNECT.

The exchange of experiences with ALPARC has also influenced an important structural decision in the Danube River Network of Protected Areas: In 2014 the DANUBEPARKS Association was set up and  so the groundwork was laid for a long-term active role in the Danube region. The setting up of a network, support  during the successful implementation of EU projects through project partnership, strategy development in areas  such as  green corridors or  wilderness , exchange on the strategic orientation of protected areas networks and the mutual reinforcement  within the framework of macro-regional strategies in the EU are only a few examples of how inspiring the cooperation between the network of protected areas in the Alpine region (ALPARC) and the Danube region (DANUBEPARKS) can be.

DANUBEPARKS is grateful for this both friendly and constructive cooperation and looks forward to facing future challenges together!

Georg Frank

DANUBEPARKS General Secretary

In order to answer to all the request of the different working groups and in order to support the project coordination, we developed the joint online working space “ALPARC extranet”.
At the beginning it will offer, by the end of the year, a platform given over entirely to the work of the "Education group".

This online tool, created to promote remote working on common projects and the exchange of ideas, resources and good practices, will later be also made available to groups working on other themes within ALPARC.

If you are interested in the ALPARC Extranet and you would like to take part in the work group “Education", please contact us                  

2013, 2014… soon 2015, the years go by – it is now almost 20 years since the beginning of international cooperation between Alpine protected areas. 

In 1995 we saw that managers were very highly motivated to discover new things, to exchange, to question themselves about their own principles of management and to develop common projects.

This motivation still exists… but there is a fundamental change: the Alpine protected areas are “growing up”. In fact, the first one, the Swiss National Park, is already very grown up, having celebrated its 100th birthday this year.
Often, as they get older, the protected areas find themselves confronted with a certain transformation and evolution in their assignments. New challenges, such as more cross-sectoral, international and interdisciplinary approaches, have been added to the traditional ones.

The years 2013 and 2014 have been very difficult for most Alpine reserves and parks because of the cuts in budget following the 2008 recession. We are quite keenly aware that many managers are no longer ready to invest themselves in work at an international level in view of the lack of funds.
Nevertheless, it is precisely this type of investment which is more important than ever. It is becoming more and more difficult to meet new needs, except through cooperation, by sharing knowledge, skills and means, all of which needs to be supported by the experience of fellow-workers and collective “lobbying”, in order to defend our original assignment, the protection of biodiversity, as well as, for some parks, the sustainable development of their region, and in this way meet new challenges.

In this spirit we wish all the managers of the Alpine protected areas of the Alpine Arc a restful Christmas season and a dynamic New Year 2015, the 20th year of our cooperation, full of energy to go forward together in the Alps.

Guido Plassmann
Director ALPARC

After the launching of the ALPARC Facebook page, you can now find us on Twitter. To find out everything about our latest activities, be up to date on what is happening in the Alps, follow us on our ALPARC account: ALPARC@Alparc_info. Post a tweet, leave and share your comments.

This is another way in which you can keep in touch and join us in working together for the Alps!

The Orobie Valtellinesi Regional Park extends on the northern side of the Orobic Alps, the first Alpine chain we meet climbing northwards up the lowlands of Lombardy and the Alpine foothills.
From a geomorphologic standpoint, the Park features a very complex landscape, characterized by fourteen ravines carved by the action of Quaternary glaciers and rushing streams.

Natural environment
The protected area features a typical mountain environment, with broadleaf forests, dominated by the chestnut spread by men in the past, and coniferous forests where the Norway spruce prevails, along with the European silver fir and the larch. Across a transition area marked by misshapen shrubs, we reach the Alpine meadow, exploited for centuries for livestock grazing. At higher altitudes, rocky and periglacial environments are home to plant species that specialise in surviving in extreme conditions.
This is also a biodiversity-rich landscape, as witnessed by the presence of rare and protected species, 3 of which are endemic to the area: the Viola Comollia, a rare species found in high altitude scree habitats, the Sanguisorba dodecandra, abundant in wet valleys, and the Androsace brevis, typically found on mountain ridges.

A rich faunistic heritage
The valleys on the Valtellina side of the Orobic Alps harbour an extremely rich faunistic heritage. The presence of the capercaillie, symbol of the park, testifies to the degree of naturalness of the park. The many different species living in the park include the black woodpecker, the Eurasian eagle-owl, the Eurasian pigmy owl, the golden eagle, the ermine, the rock ptarmigan, and the rare alpine salamander.

A wealth of history, art and ethnography
The Orobie Valtellinesi, characterized by inaccessible valleys and an unfavourable exposure, still remain relatively untouched by mass tourism, therefore representing a real and true treasure chest of historical, artistic and ethnographic records. Signs of ancient works, such as the remains of irons ores, melting furnaces and mills, are still visible. It is also possible to find traditional milk processing plants, called calècc, still in use today. The area abounds with evidence of popular religious customs and remains of the road system, such as the Strada Priula built for the transportation of goods. From the few traces of the first men venturing into the park valleys to the fortifications built during the Great War, History has left its mark.

The role of the Park Authority
The Park Authority has administrative tasks concerning forestry, hydrogeology, environment, and landscape matters, as well as the duty to promote and disseminate education and tourist activities aimed at safeguarding and enhancing the natural, cultural, and human heritage of the area.
The managing authority has always focused on research and land conservation activities, developing throughout the years several projects aimed at safeguarding particularly sensitive habitats and experimenting new forms of agricultural management.

Park's identity card

How successful are biodiversity policies, strategies and projects at connecting humans and nature in the Alps?

The greenAlps project surveyed how efficient and effective nature conservation instruments are from the European to the municipal level. Our ultimate goal is to stimulate pro-nature governance change in Alpine countries.

Download the greenAlps publication below to read more about this project!

A l'occasion du vingtième anniversaire du festival International des Métiers de Montagne du 20 au 23 novembre à Chambéry et dans la continuité des échanges sur les équilibres et solidarités ville-montagne engagés l'an passé à Chambéry, nous vous donnons rendez-vous jeudi 20 et vendredi 21 novembre au centre de congrès Le Manège pour 2 journées de colloque:

"1+1=3, Ville-montagne, une valeur augmentée"

Une solidarité plus ou moins explicite s'est créée au fil des temps entre le haut et le bas, entre la montagne et l'urbain, une solidarité financière, économique, sociale, organisée aussi autour des loisirs et de la récréation.
A la suite du colloque de 2013 "Equilibre et solidarité ville-montagne", cette solidarité est à nouveau explorée:

- Existe-t-il une économie spécifique à la montagne de proximité ?
- Y-at-il un partage possible des ressources naturelles du haut entre plusieurs acteurs et entre ceux du haut et ceux du bas ?
- Qu'en est-il des services publics ou privés de proximité ?
- La vie des gens de cette montagne peut-elle être améliorée avec des services numériques ?

En montagne, peut-être encore plus qu'ailleurs, la capacité de l'homme et de la femme à imaginer, inventer et construire l'avenir est au centre de tout. Qu'il ou elle soit chercheur, entrepreneur, salarié(e) d'entreprise, professionnel indépendant, que son champ d'intervention soit local ou mondial, individuel ou collectif, c'est bien son sens de l'observation, sa créativité, son savoir-faire qui dessineront les métiers de la montagne de demain.
 
En préambule de ces deux journées, jeudi 20 novembre de 9h à 10h30, une séance d'ouverture sera consacrée à cette "montagne de talents" où l'innovation scientifique et technologique, la recherche et la satisfaction de nouveaux marchés, la performance des entreprises sont indissociables de l'équilibre environnemental, de l'innovation sociale, de la formation des jeunes générations comme des conditions de vie et de travail des salariés sur le terrain.
 
La montagne, terre d'excellence pour un vrai développement durable.
 
toutes les infos sur le site internet du Festival International des Métiers de Montagne: http://www.metiersmontagne.org/#!prog-colloque/cfws
Entrée gratuite sur inscription en nous retournant complété le bulletin ci-joint par fax au 04 79 60 20 74, mail à m.marchal@chambery-tourisme.com ou en s'inscrivant directement sur le site du festival.

On Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 November, the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) held its annual international meeting in the Mercantour National Park. Around 80 experts in the Bearded Vulture (or Lammergeier) descended on the Ubaye valley to exchange notes about the international re-introduction programme of this species. The meeting, actively supported by the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco, also provided the occasion to announce the continuation of its financial backing for the re-introduction of Bearded Vultures in the Mercantour National Park and Alpi Marittime nature park in 2015.

The 80 experts and scientists (ornithologists, administrators of protected areas, representatives of NGOs…) met this weekend at the Séolane visitors’ centre at Barcelonnette (Vallée de l’Ubaye). Travelling from Alpine countries (France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria), but also from Portugal, Spain, the Czech Republic, Germany, Macedonia and Armenia, they met to take their annual stock of the international conservation and re-introduction programme for the Bearded Vulture, and also to plan the next steps.

The project is now entering its final phase: releases will still be carried out for a few years more, with the aim principally of increasing the genetic diversity of the population (this is still weak because of the origin of the birds released so far, all of which were bred in captivity) and to ensure the establishment of links with the Pyrenean population.

The forthcoming releases (2015) are planned for the Alpi Marittime Park, the Vercors and the Swiss Alps. Some vultures will also be released in the two other territories in which re-introduction programmes are already under way: in the Massif Central in France (Grand Causses- Cévennes, along the corridor towards the Pyrenees) and in Andalusia. The meeting also tackled some urgent questions concerning the conservation of the species in Corsica (which is now home to just five pairs), in Morocco, Crete and in the Caucasus, laying the grounds for a restoration in its natural area of distribution around Europe.

Source: Press Release Mercantour National Park. “Report of the International Meeting at Barcelonnette on November 8 and 9”

Aletta Bonn, Nicholas Macgregor, Jutta Stadler, Horst Korn, Sarah Stiffel, Katrin Wolf and Nikki van Dijk
"Helping ecosystems in Europe to adapt to climate change",  Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, BfN-Skripten 375,  2014

ALPARC has been present at the XIII. Alpine Conference in Torino on 21st November 2014.  

We are particularly proud that two of the alpine protected areas members of ALPARC, the Prealpi Giulie Nature Park (Italy) and the Triglav National Park (Slovenia),  have been recognized as official transboundary pilot region for ecological connectivity by the Alpine Convention at this occasion.

More about the Alpine Conference
More about the Alpine Ecological Network

There are now more than 210,000 protected areas in the world. Among these, 23 have been placed on the IUCN ( International Union for Conservation of Nature) Green List, the first worldwide certificate that recognises effectiveness and equity in the managing of Parks. Moreover, included in the Green List is the Gran Paradiso National Park (IT), the only Alpine Protected Area to have obtained this recognition.

The Green List was presented in Sydney on 14th November , in the context of the World Parks Congress organised by the  IUCN (12-19 November 2014) around the theme “Parks, people, planet: inspiring solutions”, or: finding solutions to the problems of the planet and of people through the experiences of parks.

As the IUCN itself asserts, the Green List of protected areas has not been drawn up with the intention of creating categories of winners and losers.This recognition is an incentive to parks to make a quantum leap and take the lead in the territories, ensuring the attainment of high standards of management , both in terms of effectiveness in the protection of nature and  the involvement of the local communities.

The Green List presented in Sydney  was drawn up on the basis of work carried out with 8 countries of the 5 continents, and will be opened up to other countries.The goal is for it to become  a globally recognised certification and a reference for the valorisation of parks which are attentive to their territory and the local community.

ALPARC and the members of the Alpine protected areas offer their congratulations to the Gran Paradiso Park on being awarded this prestigious mark of recognition. Early in 2015 the Gran Paradiso National Park will play host to a IUCN delegation at a special event to be held to celebrate this award which will be tested for renewal as early as 2016.

For more information:

*Gran Paradiso Press release
*Green List IUCN

Les ressources naturelles sont limitées. Y compris dans les Alpes. Nous devons en faire un usage parcimonieux et raisonnable. Mais cela ne doit pas nous empêcher de bien vivre, au contraire, car avec notre créativité nous pouvons trouver des solutions qui respectent notre environnement. Parfois cela implique aussi de ne pas intervenir, de se « retirer », de ne rien faire. A quoi ressemblent ces solutions, qui n’impliquent pas une consommation toujours croissante de la nature et de ses ressources? Comment pouvons-nous amplifier et démultiplier les nombreux concepts et initiatives qui existent déjà en termes de sobriété et de gestion durable des ressources ?

Nous vous invitons à débattre et chercher des réponses à ces questions, parmi d’autres, lors de la conférence annuelle 2014 de la CIPRA sur le thème « des solutions créatives face à la raréfaction des ressources ». Elle se tiendra du 13 au 15 novembre 2014 à Annecy.

Vous trouverez prochainement de plus amples informations sur www.cipra.org/fr/ca2014 .

Nous nous réjouissons d'ores et déjà de vous retrouver à Annecy pour des débats passionnants !

Sincères salutations

L'équipe de CIPRA International et de CIPRA France

www.cipra.org | www.cipra.org/france