Pilot Regions - Making it happen

Four pilot regions were chosen to represent the ecological, territorial and socio-economic realities of different Alpine countries based on their positive attitude towards the creation of ecological networks. Indeed, ecological networks activities have already begun in some pilot regions. First contacts were made in order to group all these activities into an Alpine ecological continuum. Together with 3 further regions, the pilot regions carry on their implementation activities in the frame of the ECONNECT project. You can find uptodate information on the pilot regions on the ECONNECT webpage.

Cross-boundary pilot region Berchtesgaden - Salzburg
Located along the German-Austrian border and involving the federal states of Bavaria (Germany) and Salzburg (Austria), the region contains several protected areas (National Park Berchtesgaden, Nature reserves Tennengebirge, Hagengebirge, Salzburger Kalkhochalpen, Natura 2000 sites…). Many cross-boundary cooperation projects in a variety of fields (date exchange, scientific research…) exist. As the area is of great natural interest and part of one bio-geographical entity, this cooperation should now be extended.

Pilot region French department Isère
The Isère département is located in the French region Rhône-Alpes. It is an intensely anthropized area presenting a strong need for rapid intervention to prevent continuous settlement from Valence to Geneva. The valleys of this region are main migration routes of pan-alpine significance, especially for birds. They are however of great importance also for local migrations of individual species between the regional massifs and the main large protected areas (National Park Les Ecrins, Nature Parks Vercors, Chartreuse, Bauges).
The Département Isère has been working on ecological networks since 1996. In 2001, a map of all ecological networks of the region was produced. Since then, various activities have been undertaken to implement these ecological networks (game bridges and tunnels, speed limits, public relations work, integration in planning processes). Isère now aims to integrate its actions in the larger Alpine frame provided by the Ecological Continuum Initiative. Their experience will be extremely important and all future Alpine projects will benefit from their knowledge.
In 2009 in the Isère department a further EU funded project stated to restore ecological corridors: "Couloirs de vie" (Corridors of life).

Pilot region around the National Park Kalkalpen and the National Park Gesäuse
Three federal states in Eastern Austria and various protected areas are concerned. Based on the results of the 2004 ALPARC study, the National Parks Kalkalpen and Gesäuse and other protected areas have initiated the establishment of an ecological network. Due to its characteristics (large forest cover, small cultural landscape structures, low fragmentation, high biodiversity), the region is perfectly suited for the project. The area is also an important link to other Alpine regions and the Carpathians. In October 2006 a first workshop, with the joint signing of a declaration of intent, laid the foundations for this project.

Pilot region Engadin – Alto Adige - Val d'Adige
This cross-boarder pilot region between the Grisons/CH, South Tyrol, Trentino/I and Tyrol/A will consider connectivity in two areas. First along the Adige River valley from the Po plain to the central Alps and the Inn valley (crossing migration routes from South and East). The Adige valley is densely populated and intensively used by irrigated agriculture and connectivity is of main concern for nature protection. Secondly along existing protected areas: Adamello Brenta – Stelvio – Swiss National Park and from the Nature Parks in South Tyrol to the National Park Hohe Tauern in Austria. For these protected areas a main concern is to establish (transboundary) ecological networks to assure biological exchange and large migration areas (e.g. for brown bear).

Nomination of Pilot regions
The Platform Ecological Network has developed a concept for the nomination of pilot regions. More information can be found here.

Pilot region strategy
Building on the results of the Ecological Continuum Initiative and existing agreements with the project partners, an approach in three phases has been proposed for all the pilot regions, which will be implemented as part of the Continuum Initiative and the Alpine Space ECONNECT project.

The pilot region strategy expands on the proposals made by various scientific experts regarding common methods for creating ecological networks in the Alps (expert workshops held in Zurich in December 2007 and Chambéry (April 2008); methods report; catalogue of measures).

The common methods for creating ecological networks in the Alps have been put together in strategic implementation guidelines:

Strategic implementation guidelines – English
Strategisch-methodischer Leitfaden – German
Guide stratégique et méthodologique – French
Vademecum strategico-metodologico– Italian

First workshop in pilot region Engadin – Alto Adige - Val d'Adige: Müstair 27./28. October 2008
The Continuum Initiative invited stakeholders from the pilot region Inn-Etsch and further interested people to a workshop held in the Biosfera Val Müstair, Switzerland. To ensure the continuity of work from the Continuum Initiative to ECONNNECT this workshop was jointly organised by both projects. The results of the Continuum Initiative were presented to and discussed with key actors who will carry on the working process within the ECONNECT project which just started on 1st of September. The focus of the discussions was on methods and measures that can contribute to the creation of ecological networks in the region. A summary report in German (6 pages plus attachments) and Italian (7 p.), the presentations and further information on the workshop is available.

First workshop in the pilot region “Northern Limestone Alps/Eisenwurzen/Gesäuse/ Dürrenstein” – 1. October 2008, Admont (A)

The National Park Gesäuse and its partners National Park Kalkalpen and Wilderness Area Dürrenstein started their activities on ecological connectivity with a first workshop in Admont the 1st October 2008. Almost 30 people from the three provinces Upper and Lower Austria as well as Styria participated in this workshop, representing protected areas, local governments with different departments (e.g. nature conservation, forestry, agriculture, spatial planning and water management), NGOs as well as hunters organisations and landowners.
Information on the two projects “Continuum” and “ECONNECT” and fundaments on nature, cultural and economical structures were presented to the stakeholders. The participants discussed about objectives of ECONNECT, possibilities for cooperation, involvement of stakeholders and opinion leaders, and the organisation of further events. In addition, possibilities of first projects for implementation of ecological connectivity were reviewed.

The conclusion of the workshop is among other things: the basic necessity of awareness raising in the region; the compilation of all relevant activities in the region and the use of synergies; the need for bottom-up planning with clear structures within the planning process to establish an efficient network which speaks a common language; the use of already existing structures, e.g. LEADER; further examples for implementation measures regarding i.e. alpine meadows, rivers and grouse species are required.

Next steps in the pilot region at the beginning of 2009 will be the preparation of a folder of the pilot region, the organisation of several workshops/events in the 3 provinces Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Styria and interviews with 150 stakeholders.

8 May 2008 / Teamwork between pilot regions of the Eastern Alps, Windischgarsten (AT)
The Continuum Initiative partners went to visit the pilot regions of the Eastern Alps. A meeting with colleagues from the National Parks Gesäuse and Kalkalpen, but as well from Berchtesgaden and Hohe Tauern, Wildnisgebiet Dürrenstein, Nature Park Weissbach and Nature Parks Südtirol was held in Windischgarsten/Austria. It was the opportunity to discuss more in detail the activities planned in the pilot regions. The participants agreed on a proposal listing nine methodological steps on how to proceed in the pilot regions to create ecological networks. Until the end of the year, different initiatives will take place in all pilot regions in order to inform and sensitise other stakeholder groups about the project and in order to actively involve them into the process.

International pilot regions workshop, 14-15 April 2008, Chambéry (FR)
The pilot regions workshop gave representatives of all four pilot areas of the Continuum Initiative, as well as from other key areas the opportunity to meet each other and to discuss the first results, which were achieved by the consortium. Among those results was the methodological procedure proposed for the realisation of ecological networks in the pilot regions: after an intensive test, all representatives of the pilot regions agreed on the feasibility and coherence of this approach.

Key element of the workshop was nevertheless the catalogue of measures, a document outlining the measures existing in the different Alpine countries that can contribute to the creation of ecological networks. A first draft of the document, as well as some examples of possible measures, were presented and discussed by the participants. The catalogue of measures will be revised, adapted following the formulated suggestions and presented to the pilot regions again in autumn.

Finally, a field trip accompanied by Agnes Biau from the nature protection association FRAPNA offered the possibility to experience some examples of concrete actions in favour of ecological connectivity. FRAPNA is working on a connectivity project between the two mountain ranges and Nature Parks Massif des Bauges and Massif de Chartreuse.