Partners
The four partners of the Ecological Continuum Initiative are:
ALPARC, the Alpine Network of Protected areas was created in 1995 as an international organisation for the cooperation between the alpine protected areas in various fields. The ALPARC network federates more than 800 large size protected areas in the Alps and has as well a strong cooperation with the Carpathian protected areas. ALPARC’s traditional task is the thematic exchange between protected areas managers in the Alps, the realisation of transalpine projects and a well developed policy of communication (publications, internet, expositions etc.) towards alpine stakeholders and populations. Since 2003 ALPARC is charged by the Alpine Convention to also promote and develop an ecological continuum through the Alps. The alpine protected areas are central elements in this continuum or “transalpine belt of biodiversity”.
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CIPRA, the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, was founded in 1952. CIPRA International is a non-governmental umbrella organization headquartered in Schaan, Liechtenstein. There are seven national CIPRA branches in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Switzerland as well as the South Tyrol regional branch, all of which represent over 100 member organizations. It has the status of an official observer at the Alpine Convention. With its publications CIPRA Info and alpMedia newsletter as well as with the 1st and 2nd Report of the State of the Alps, CIPRA is an important source of information in the field of nature protection and sustainable development in the Alps as well as a large transboundary network of institutions and persons.
The International Scientific Committee for Alpine Research has been founded in 1999 by 7 partner institutions from all alpine countries: Academies from Bavaria, Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland; the mountain institute IMONT in Rome and the Pôle Grenoble. A secretariat in Berne (CH) makes ISCAR operational. The main mission is to promote interdisciplinary and transalpine mountain research, following the 13 committee members cover disciplines from natural, social and economic sciences. ISCAR is organising the biannual ForumAlpinum for transnational research exchange and cooperation. Since 2000 ISCAR is an official observer of the Alpine Convention intending to give scientific support to the Convention, e.g. in elaborating a Research Agenda related to its multi-annual working programme 2005-2010.
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At the end of 1999, the WWF European Alpine Programme was launched by the five WWF organizations of the alpine countries Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland. Its goal was to adapt the ecoregion conservation approach to the Alps, one of 238 « priority ecoregions » identified worldwide through the Global 200 initiative. Priority ecoregions represent the most representative and most complete example of a given major habitat type.
Inside the Alps ecoregion, the WWF European Alpine Programme, working together with ALPARC, CIPRA and ISCAR, identified the areas that are most important for the protection of natural diversity in the Alps. It is in these priority conservation areas that conservation activities should concentrate in the future. WWF's Ecoregion Conservation Plan (ECP) is therefore an important contribution to the Alpine Convention. WWF has already implemented some connectivity projects in the alpine region and has acquired a great deal of experience with the legislative issues related to this topic.