VISITORS AND RESIDENTS ANNUAL REPORT 2018 CIPRA INTERNATIONAL 02 | THE CIPRA NETWORK 2018 ANNUAL REPORT CIPRA INTERNATIONAL | 03 THE CIPRA SOUTH TYROL Alpenverein Südtirol ō Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Vogelkunde und Vogelschutz in Südtirol ō Baubiolo gie REPRESENTATIONS AND GERMANY Bergwacht im Bay- Südtirol ō Bund Alternativer Anbauer ō Heimatpflege verband THEIR MEMBERS erischen Roten KreuzōBergwald- Südtirol ō /,$ SHU 1DWXUD \ 8VDQ]HV ō 1DWXUWUHII (LVYR- projekt e. V.ōBund Naturschutz in gel ō Plattform Pro Pustertal ō Süd tiroler Gesellschaft für Bayern e. V.ōDeutscher Alpenverein Gesundheitsför de rung ō Südtiroler HochschülerInnenschaft e. V.ōGesellschaft für ökologische ō Umweltgruppe Eis acktal ō Umweltschutzgruppe Vinschgau Forschung e. V.ōLandesbund für Vo- ō Local environment groups: Andrian, Bozen, Eppan, Jene- gelschutz in Bayern e. V.ōMountain sien, Kaltern, Olang, Rasen-Antholz, Sa lurn, Terlan, Ulten, ITALY Associazione Ambiente e Lavoro ō Wilderness Deutschland e. V.ōNatur- Vahrn, Wipptal ō Individuals members: ca. 1650 Associazione Dislivelli ō Club Alpino Italiano ō Freunde Deutschlands e. V.ōÖkolo- www.cipra.org/cipra-suedtirol Dachverband für Natur- und Umweltschutz in Süd- gischer Jagdverband e. V.ōVerband Deutscher Berg- und SkiführerōVer- tirol ō Federazione Italiana di Parchi e delle Riserve SCHAAN/LI, APRIL 2019 Naturali (Federparchi) ō Federazione Italiana Pro ein zum Schutz der Bergwelt e. V. SUSTAINING MEMBER Natura ō Gruppo Italiano Amici della Natura ō www.cipra.org/germany Nederlandse Milieugroup Alpen, Netherlands DEAR READER, Istituto Nazionale di Urbanistica ō Italia Nostra ō Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli ō Legambiente ō __Sustainable tourism in the Alps is a major Alps Interrail Ticket. Find out more about the all Mountain Wilderness Italia ō Parco Alpi Marittime FRANCE La Fédération Française des Clubs Alpins et de Montagne ō La Fédération contributing factor to the good quality of life too often laborious political debates with which ō Parco delle Orobie Valtellinesi ō Parco Nazionale Française de Montagne et d’Escalade ō Fédération Française de la Randonnée — Comité régional Au- della Val Grande ō Parco Nazionale delle Dolomi- vergne-Rhône-Alpes ō La Fédération Française Union Touristique des Amis de la Nature ō La Fédération of the population. Providing it is intelligently CIPRA is confronted as it bids to promote ti Bellunesi ō Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio ō Pro Nationale pour le Développement des Sports et du Tourisme en Montagne ō WWF France : L’organisa- formulated and implemented, it can com- long-term sustainable projects rather than the Natura Torino ō Società di Scienze Naturali del tion mondiale de protection de la nature ō Mountain Wilderness France ō La Fédération Rhône-Alpes de bine different areas of life and many of the short-termism of hastily agreed, profit-orientat- Trentino ō Servizio Glaciologico Lombardo ō Aree Protection de la Nature ō France Nature Environnement Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur ō Association aspirations of both the local population and ed expansion plans. pour le Développement en Réseau des Territoires et des Services ō Centre de la Nature Montagnarde ō Protette dell’Ossola visitors to the region. Holistic tourism requires And as I write this introduction about w w w . c i p r a . o r g / i t a l y ASTERS : Conservatoire des espaces naturels de Haute-Savoie ō Association des Amis du PNR unconventional ideas and creative strategies tourism and quality of life, I cannot help but be de Charteuse ō Parc Naturel Régional de la Chartreuse ō Parc National des Ecrins ō Parc National de Mercantour ō Parc National de la Vanoise in order to boost the value of the natural and reminded of someone who was by my side for AUSTRIA Arbeits gemeinschaft der www.cipra.org/france cultural heritage of the Alps and develop a such a long time: Hans Haid, who passed Berg- und Naturwachten Öster reichs form of tourism that remains competitive even away in early February. Hans Haid was an ō Kuratorium WaldōNaturfreunde Ös- in the age of climate change. Ötztal Valley dialect poet, a folklorist, a moun- terreichōNaturschutzbund Österreich SLOVENIA 140 individual members SWITZERLAND Alpen-Ini tiative From Ljubljana to Grenoble and from tain farmer and founder of the Pro Vita Alpina ō Österreichischer AlpenvereinōÖs- www.cipra.org/en/slovenia ō Aqua Viva ō Grimselverein ō Munich to Turin, CIPRA organisations are com- association designed to promote cultural and terreichischer ForstvereinōÖster- Mountain Wilderness Schweiz ō reichischer TouristenklubōVerband Naturfreunde Schweiz ō Pro Natura ing up with the necessary ideas and strategies social development in the Alps. And through Österreichischer Höhlenforscher ō LIECHTENSTEIN Botanisch-Zoologische Gesellschaft ō Schweizer Alpen-Club ō Schweizer by injecting their own distinctive creativity, wit our own commitment we aim to uphold the Dachverband “Jagd Österreich” ō Liechtenstein-Sarganserland-WerdenbergōFischereiverein Vogelschutz SVS / BirdLife Schweiz and charm. This Annual Report has lots more values that Hans Haid held dear, and we do Die neun Bun desländer Österreichs: LiechtensteinōLiechtensteiner AlpenvereinōForstverein Liech- ō Schweize ri sche Greina-Stiftung ō on the subject. Join our participants on their so in fond memory. Vorarlberg, Tirol, Salzburg, Kärnten, tensteinōLiechtensteiner JägerschaftōLiechtenstei nische Stiftung Landschaftschutz Schweiz ō field trip to the Slovenian town of Bled as they We hope you enjoy reading our report! Oberösterreich, Steiermark, Nieder- Gesellschaft für UmweltschutzōImkereiverein Liechtenstein ō WWF Schweiz (Passivmitglied) gain an insight into the excesses of tourism. österreich, Wien, Burgenland Liechtensteinischer Ornithologischer LandesverbandōSolar- www.cipra.org/switzerland www.cipra.org/en/austria genossenschaft LiechtensteinōVerkehrs-Club Liechtenstein Enjoy plenty of stunning views with young trav- Christian Baumgartner www.cipra.org/en/liechtenstein Walser Martin Editorial: Interrail, Alpine Marion/Youth Camille Title: ellers as they discover the Alps thanks to the Vice President, CIPRA International 04 | VISITORS AND RESIDENTS 2018 ANNUAL REPORT CIPRA INTERNATIONAL | 05 Secluded mountain lakes, picturesque villages, unspoilt nature: ALPINE as an industry, tourism in the Alps always conveys the same images. The Slovenian town of Bled is a perfect illustration of how mass tourism shapes people’s lives. So how do we strengthen # TOURISM our identity? It’s a question CIPRA raised at its conference. __Gregor pushes his sunglasses up onto his forehead and casually props his leg on the pletna, the traditional flat-bottomed boat made of larch wood, with its distinctive striped blue awning. The group of people clustered around him stare at him blankly. Then, in a booming voice, the mayor Janez Fajfar trans- lates Gregor’s words into English, and their expressions brighten up. Gregor is a pletna oarsman. He ferries his guests across the lake to the famous island of Bled. These boat trips are something of a tradition and have long been part of the townscape and identity of this small Slovenian town. As the mayor reliably informs his audience, being a pletna oarsman is very much a family matter. Indeed, as Gregor explains, the highly coveted licences are passed down from one generation to the next. Janez Fajfar goes on eloquently translating. In the old days, it was a way for poor people to supplement their income; today it’s a lucrative job. ‘My family’s been operating pletna boats for six generations.’ An ‘Alpine blend’ with Germanic, Slav and Romanic roots The people listening all travelled to Bled from various Alpine countries to dis- cuss topics such as tourism and quality of life in the Alps at the joint yearly symposium of CIPRA International, CIPRA Slovenia, and the Alliance in the Alps network of municipalities. Tourism has brought relative prosperity to the Alps. In many regions it remains an important source of income. But it also entails all sorts of challenges such as over-exploitation and untrammelled growth. Lots of visitors, a loud and boisterous fun-based scene, and long tailbacks of traffic Object of desire: have made the local population in many places sceptical about tourism. Bled Island is one of the most Bled as a conference venue is a case in point. The idyllic lakeside loca- popular photo motifs. tion, the high-perched mediaeval fortress and the stunning mountain panorama 06 | VISITORS AND RESIDENTS of the Julian Alps and the Karawanken have made the municipality of 8,000 A wooden inhabitants in the Slovenian Alps something of a tourism magnet. During the boat with a high season the number of people in the town doubles, with 8,000 guest beds long tradition: available – a challenge for politicians and residents alike. the pletna is an integral part A backdrop of national importance of Bled’s urban landscape. The heroes of Bled go by the names of Arnold Rikli, Ivan Kenda, Anton Vork, and Jula Molnar. They stare down sternly from stone reliefs on the green me- morial beneath the shady trees in the Kurpark. The Swiss natural healer Ar- nold Rikli was himself ailing when, in 1855, he came across the town of Bled as a health resort – and subsequently exported the concept back to Switzerland, as Fajfar claims. ‘No alcohol, no meat, and up the mountain every morning’ – the mayor shudders at the thought. With his navy blue jacket casually draped across his shoulders and a bon viveur paunch bulging beneath his checked shirt, he likes to talk about the history of Bled as if he himself had lived through The resort it all. ‘Fresh air, sunshine and water can heal anything,’ he says, quoting Rikli, town of Bled: and adds that migration has always existed. Whether it’s Peter Passler, leader the mayor of peasant rebellions in the 16th century, or wealthy Jews during the Second Janez Fajfar World War. All of which resulted in an ‘Alpine blend’ with Germanic, Slav and talking about Romanic roots – and an abundance of the name Peter in many families. the early days of tourism. ‘The pace of tourism has picked up tremendously.’ The mayor himself was elected to office in 2006 and speaks eight languages.