CIPRA International Annual Report 2006
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CIPRA International Annual Report 2006 CIPRA International Postfach 142, Im Bretscha 22, 9494 Schaan, Liechtenstein Tel. 00423 / 237 40 30, Fax: 00423 / 237 40 31 [email protected] www.cipra.org Contents: CIPRA 3 The Alpine Convention: a tool for protection and sustainable development 3 CIPRA and the EU 3 “Future in the Alps” is there to be seen 4 “alpKnowhow” – the knowledge pool 4 Dissemination of knowledge started via alpService 4 Sustainable pilot projects in alpPerformance 5 NENA, developing a company network in the Alps 5 climalp: intelligent construction for climate protection and support for the regional economy 5 Biodiversity: Nature knows no borders 6 “Alliance in the Alps” local authority network 6 A success story is written 6 Conclusion of DYNALP 7 Launch of DYNALP2 7 Alliance of Central Asian Mountain Communities – launch of an energy partnership 8 Alpine Towns of the Year developing project ideas 8 CIPRA Info 9 alpMedia: further increase in subscriptions 9 CIPRA’s 2006 annual conference: Tourism and regional planning under the weather 10 People and bodies 10 CIPRA’s national organisations 11 Finance 15 Acknowledgements 15 CIPRA The International Commission for the Protection of the Alps CIPRA (Commission Internationale pour la Protection des Alpes) works for sustainable development in the Alps. It supports the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage, the maintenance of regional diversity and problem-solving in the Alpine region across national borders. CIPRA’s guiding principle and statutes are available on the net under www.cipra.org. CIPRA is a non-governmental umbrella organisation with branches in seven Alpine states (Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia), which represent around 100 member organisations in the Alpine region. It was founded on May 5th, 1952 and is headquartered in Schaan, in the Principality of Liechtenstein. The non-profit-making purposes of CIPRA are recognised by the Liechtenstein Tax Authority. The Alpine Convention: a tool for protection and sustainable development The Alpine Convention, an international treaty among all the Alpine states and the European Union, was set up on CIPRA’s impulse, but after it had long prepared the floor. CIPRA participates in the Alpine Convention as an official observer. This framework agreement is of crucial importance for sustainable development in the Alps. It offers the population of the Alpine region prospects for a worthwhile future by jointly tackling issues concerning economics, ecology and society with an international approach involving the whole Alpine region. A multitude of concrete projects in the most different fields are living proof of the fact that from France to Slovenia the Alps are perceived as a whole, which was much less the case before the Alpine Convention was signed. In a world challenged by globalisation and the decline of agriculture, and in view of global warming and the overall changes in the nature of tourism with all the repercussions that entails, CIPRA considers the Alpine Convention as a key instrument not only of exchange and co-operation but also of preservation and sustainable regional development. Thus, it takes part in the different bodies of the Alpine Convention and makes concrete proposals for further developing cooperation and for the implementation of the Alpine Convention and its protocols. In 2006, fifteen years after the Alpine Convention was signed by the countries of the Alps and the EU, Switzerland and Italy have not yet ratified a single protocol, and the European Union and Monaco have ratified only a few. CIPRA for its part attended all the meetings of the Standing Committee of the Alpine Convention and various working group sessions in 2006 as well as the 9th Alpine Conference of Ministers of the Environment. CIPRA and the EU The EU is a Party to the Alpine Convention but, as yet, it has not ratified any of the protocols. Both EU policy and legislation exert important influences on the development of the Alpine region, such as in the areas of environmental standards, regional development, development of rural areas, transport and agriculture. Protection of the environment and sustainable development are key factors at regional, national and international level for the competitiveness that has become the focus of the EU policy. CIPRA-International, Jahresbericht 2005, Seite 3 Therefore, in 2005, CIPRA increased its commitment to also become an active player in EU matters. To this end it has established many contacts and will be ever increasingly present in Brussels. It can provide Brussels with information on innovative sustainable development models of the Alpine region and help in accelerating the ratification process of the Alpine Convention protocols through the EU. “Future in the Alps” is there to be seen “Future in the Alps” is a project by CIPRA which is financed by the MAVA Foundation for Nature Conservation. “Future in the Alps” is a broad-based knowledge management project aimed at promoting sustainable development in the Alpine region. Its aim is to get people, businesses and institutions to network in order to exchange and implement know-how and information and as a result create new incentives for sustainable development in the Alps. By means of this project, CIPRA makes a contribution to the implementation of the Alpine Convention. “Future in the Alps” networks and promotes new and existing initiatives aimed at harmonising nature conservation, the needs of the population and economic objectives. Practical experience and the latest research findings are collated, evaluated and processed for further application (alpKnowhow). alpService makes the results available to a multitude of players. Sustainable pilot projects that apply this knowledge are in turn supported and monitored. In “Enterprise Alps”, alpPerformance brings together those players who adopt an innovative and sustainable approach to their economic activities. The following six issues are tackled within “Future in the Alps”: regional value added, governance capacity, protected areas, mobility, new forms of decision making, policies and instruments. The project runs from July 2004 to December 2007. “alpKnowhow” – the knowledge pool The alpKnowhow section of the project was completed at the end of May 2006 and the results made available via the Web. For each of the six key issues there is a report with various annexes, the 20-40 most relevant publications and 20-30 examples of best and good practice from all the countries of the Alps and other regions. There is also a synthesis report listing the conclusions, recommendations and main points addressed for the six issues, and a general summary of the results of the research phase. The authors of alpKnowhow have also produced a project glossary and a collection of unanswered questions for the attention of the research community. In addition, CIPRA has created a list of about 130 links. Dissemination of knowledge started via alpService In 2006 the project team completed preparations for alpService and launched the first activities so that the knowledge gathered on the six main issues can be processed, made available to users and disseminated. CIPRA has initiated a series of twelve international workshops. The first, on the subject of “Nature Parks and Regional Development” took place in Bad Hindelang (D) on October 2006. The other workshops, which will be organised in collaboration with external partners, will be held in 2007. “Future in the Alps” co-organised CIPRA’s annual conference in May 2006. The main focus was on climate change and its relevance for the six main issues of “Future in the Alps”. In 2006 members of the project team were invited to a total of twelve external workshops and conferences in various countries of the Alps to report on “Future in the Alps” and the results of the project. CIPRA International 2006 Annual Report, page 4 << The results from alpKnowhow are to be made available in the form of teaching and learning materials, and an appropriate concept was developed by the project team in the course of 2006. At the same time a basic strategy was drawn up and a pan-Alpine poll of experts conducted as preliminary measures to assess the feasibility and develop the structure of a Masters programme on “Excellence in Alpine Development”. To enable people from other regions around the world to benefit from the findings of “Future in the Alps”, the project team entered into a partnership in 2006 with a development organisation called Inwent to reach out to actors in the Himalayas and also prepared a workshop in Budapest for the mountain regions of eastern Europe. The 3rd Alpine Report will also function as a central dissemination tool for numerous actors, and extensive preparation work was performed in 2006. Sustainable pilot projects in alpPerformance One of the core items in “Future in the Alps” is the creation of a network of sustainability- and innovation-oriented companies in the Alps, and work began in developing that network in 2006 (see next section). Starting in the spring of 2006, the first steps have been taken by members of the “Alliance in the Alps” local authority network to implement the researched knowledge in the framework of the DYNALP2 project. For the details, you are referred to the section on the “Alliance in the Alps” network below. The project team is in continual contact with the eight winning projects from the 2005 “Future in the Alps” competition. Most of the projects that the winners wanted to implement with their prize money were completed in 2006. That includes the publication of a multi-lingual book on the success story of Werfenweng (A), the improvement of public-private partnerships for running the Logarska Dolina Landscape Park, and preparatory work on the creation of the Kamnik Savinja Alps Regional Park (Slo). NENA, developing a company network in the Alps “Future in the Alps” triggered the idea of a network of sustainable companies in the Alps similar to the “Alliance in the Alps” local authority network, which has greatly facilitated CIPRA’s access to municipalities in the whole of the Alpine region.