http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org daily 1 2010-10-11T14:12:59Z http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4857 The new Austrian project, "Network Natural Forests", intends to contribute to the protection of biodiversity by connecting its forest habitats via two elements: close-to-nature stepping stones and the co-operation of different protected areas. Source and further information: www.netzwerk-naturwald.at/index.php/en-GB/ (en, de)
]]> No publisher zopemaster 2013-05-27T17:55:18Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4856 Supporting the implementation of an ecological network continues to be a major issue in the Swiss region of the Lower Engadine. The new "Colliar" project intends to improve co-operation on regional initiatives by different sectors.
Sources and further information: www.inscunter.ch/News/tabid/312/articleType (de), www.forumlandschaft.ch/archiv/links (de)]]> No publisher zopemaster 2013-05-27T17:55:17Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4855 The Federal Council has drawn positive conclusions as regards the status of ecological corridors in Switzerland. A pilot project has tested how to successfully reduce collisions between animals and cars. The upcoming research field of landscape genetics provides new insights for the planning and implementation of ecological networks. The prevention of accidents involving car and wild animals has been the focus of a recently concluded project. 10,000 acoustic warning devices were installed on particularly dangerous sections. This significantly reduced the number of animals killed - in some cases by up to 40% compared to the previous year. The project was a joint effort between the Swiss Insurance Association, the hunting and animal welfare associations and several cantons.
The Swiss research institution WSL is active in the field of landscape genetics. This upcoming discipline allows the dispersal of animals and plants to be related to landscape elements such as barriers. A study of red deer for example found that, in the canton of Aargau, highways represent the main barriers.

Sources and further information: www.parlament.ch/d/suche/seiten/geschaefte (de, fr, it), www.svv.ch/de/medien/medienmitteilungen (de, fr), www.wildtier.ch/fileadmin/user_upload (de), www.sueddeutsche.de/wissen (de)

]]> No publisher zopemaster 2013-05-27T17:55:17Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4852 With its new presidency, the "Ecological Network" Platform of the Alpine Convention is now continuing its work. In focus over the next two years are cross-border co-operation between neighbouring states and activities in the pilot regions. According to the mandate given by the Alpine Convention, the work programme of the Platform will focus on cross-border co-operation between neighbouring states on the topic of ecological connectivity based on the "connectivity analysis" realised for the Platform in 2012. The Alpine pilot regions for ecological connectivity - key partners in the implementation of an Alpine ecological network - will also be at the centre of the Platform's work. The Platform will strongly support the development of new projects, offering the pilot regions opportunities for further implementing activities that support ecological connectivity in their areas.

Sources and further information: www.alpconv.org/en/organization/groups (en, de, fr, it, sl), www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10 (en)]]> No publisher zopemaster 2013-05-27T17:55:14Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4689 Municipalities can collaborate in the improvement of ecological networks in many different ways. Therefore CIPRA wants to convince mayors for this topic with the help of a video clip. The movie will be shown at events from autumn 2012. It will also be available on the Internet. ALPARC is producing an accompanying brochure with further information on ecological connectivity for mayors. The movie-campaign is part of the Ecological Continuum Initiative in which CIPRA, the Alpine Network of Protected Areas, ALPARC, and the International Scientific Committee, ISCAR, work together for the connection of natural habitats.
Further information: aurelia.ullrich@cipra.org]]> No publisher zopemaster 2012-08-31T05:54:46Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4647 Chris Walzer, lead partner of Econnect, on ecological networking, psychological barriers and a continuous landscape. That was not the aim of the project. Structural barriers don't really exist for large predators such as bears, lynx and wolves. But there are psychological barriers. There are people who are not happy about sharing the landscape with carnivores. One of Econnect's biggest achievements is that we now take quite a different view of the notion of barriers. In the past we sought to take a relatively narrow spatial approach to the issue. We now realise that "passability" throughout the entire landscape must take place regardless of individual factors. This transition from a traditional corridor concept to a continuous matrix within the landscape is a long and arduous process. It was only towards the end of the project that it began to take shape.
Is it fair to say that this change in attitude is also one of the project's successes?
As far as I'm concerned it's one of its greatest successes. But not all the partners share that view. Dealing with a corridor is so much simpler: you have an island here, a corridor there… green motorways - and animals wandering up and down. But what about in between? Anything that's roaming around there has no protection. The problem is demarcated, and the efforts to address it are just as confined, spatially restricted, restricted from the point of view of the entire thought construct. The moment I say the entire landscape has to be passable it all becomes more complex. And the potential for conflict rises.

In the final report, it says: "The biggest obstacles are cultural in nature." What do you mean by that?
I'm talking about socio-political issues. Ultimately it's an ethical problem. We're just treating symptoms at the end of a long chain - a fragmented landscape, infrastructure, and more and more traffic. But hardly anyone is actually asking whether we need more traffic and more infrastructure. In fact we should be questioning the issue of growth itself. The pace of development is so fast that we're unable to keep up. The problem is shifting the whole time. The minute I'm able to offer a solution, the problem has changed yet again.

CIPRA does not manage nature reserves and does not draw up scientific studies. So in your view how did CIPRA contribute?
CIPRA was one of the founders of the project. It is a both a mainstay and a cornerstone, a centre of competence. It has a great deal of knowledge about the players who operate in the Alpine region; it can provide lots of resources and fundamentals. It has many years of expertise on ecological networking in the Alps. Without CIPRA the project would not have been possible. CIPRA is also a melting point. When it comes to ethical problems as I mentioned earlier, CIPRA takes that information on board, too, and follows on from it. CIPRA has already done quite a few things on the limits of growth. One of CIPRA's roles in the future might be to incorporate socio-political issues to an even greater degree.

The Jecami platform is a cartographic tool for visualising ecological barriers and corridors.
The Jecami tool, a computer application developed essentially by the Swiss National Park and based on the geographical information system GIS, has helped solve a number of problems. First of all, when it comes to visualising aspects of the landscape such as passability, you're tied to whatever spatial resolution is in place. Jecami is able to process all sorts of data irrespective of scale, a bit like Google Earth. And it calculates the landscape's suitability for networking based on indicators such as population density, infrastructure, fragmentation index, light pollution, etc. It is a good communication tool, for example for municipalities who are in discussions with the parties concerned such as land owners or farmers.

Communication also means simplification. And yet the science is complex. How did Econnect navigate these tricky waters?
Sometimes the gap between the science and the users in the pilot regions is simply too wide. All the theoretical foundations are in place. But they are "hidden away" in scientific publications and not accessible to users. What we need is some sort of translation service to make the scientific data accessible to the users and the pilot regions. I have no doubt that in future one of CIPRA's key tasks will be to make the findings from the scientific literature accessible to users. Of course it already does so to a certain extent, but there are lots more of these complex and highly theoretical principles out there. One question that crops up time and time again is why networking is so important for biodiversity? The findings are all there; they have been demonstrated many times in trials over small areas. But if I don't translate the data, most users won't know what to do with it. They have no benefit from it and no arguments in favour of it.
Ecological networking is a long-term project covering several generations. But the project itself is now completed. How will you ensure that the fruits of your labour won't simply be left to rot?
First of all, we're working on follow-up projects and looking to find a place for networking. One of Econnect's strengths is the consortium. If I have spent three years working with someone, then the direct contact has been established and it can be used. The pilot regions themselves have also been greatly strengthened and they will carry the notion of networking forward into the future.

Barbara Wülser (interview) and Caroline Begle (photos), CIPRA International


Chainsaws for capercaillies
If it is to attract a potential mating partner, the capercaillie needs space for its courtship rituals. In the Hohe Tauern pilot region with its dense forest cover, that sort of space is now in short supply. Which is why Econnect called in the lumberjacks on the Gassneralm. Here foresters and farmers, nature conservationists and the hunting community worked so well together that the pilot project has now become a role model for the Capercaillie Action Plan launched by the Austrian federal province of Carinthia.

Sending out a signal with plastic balls
Ski resorts with their multitude of cable cars and other infrastructure represent a constant hazard for many species, particularly birds. But now, thanks to the Econnect pilot project, more than 2,000 red balls have been put in place in the resorts of Limone Piemonte (I) and Isola 2000 (F) in the south-western Alps to ensure that ski-lift routes are clearly visible to animals as obstacles. All Econnect had to do was purchase the balls; the work itself was carried out by the ski resort operators.

Lights out for wild boar
In the French valley of Grésivaudan human activity is turning night into day. Nocturnal animals such as wild boar tend to avoid crossing fields and roads if they are lit up, which seriously curtails their movement. To make the population aware of the problem and prompt the municipalities to take action, the département of Isère organised a campaign day on 1 October 2011 as a contribution to Econnect. Since then more than 20 communities have reduced their lighting.



For more nature outside protected areas
CIPRA is strengthening its roots as a nature conservation organisation through its habitat networking activities in the Alps. In 2011 the emphasis was on completing the Econnect project. Over a period of more than three years the 16 project partners have initiated a rethink and achieved their first implementation successes. The Econnect budget of EUR 3.2 m was co-financed by the EU. CIPRA also received financial support totalling EUR 57,900 from Liechtenstein for its activities over the three years.
In 2011 CIPRA also took part in the Ecological Continuum Initiative alongside the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (Alparc) and the International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps (ISCAR). It also participated in the Alpine Convention's "Ecological Network" and "Wild Animals and Society" platforms.
www.econnectproject.eu - www.alpine-ecological-network.org
]]> No publisher zopemaster 2012-08-02T17:54:34Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4514 Real connectivity depends on a comprehensive planning process. The complex system of interactions and mechanisms in human societies calls for an analytic and comprehensive approach. JECAMI combines three different approaches: the analysis of the landscape as a whole in a Continuum Suitability Index (CSI), the distribution and movements of specific key species with the Species Map Application (SMA) and the Connectivity Analysis of Riverine Landscapes (CARL). The CSI service defines a continuum suitability index from the interaction of ten different indices and allows for the measurement of connectivity suitability over a matrix of different areas. Through the SMA-Service it is possible to detect barriers and corridors for a specific animal species. The CARL module allows to study and quantify the fragmentation level of riverine landscapes and to identify the barriers effective in the longitudinal, lateral, vertical and temporal dimension.
More information: www.jecami.eu]]> No publisher zopemaster 2012-05-31T10:35:29Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4582 During the last Alpine Conference in March 2011 the Alpine Convention officially nominated 8 pilot regions for ecological connectivity in the Alps. Together the Swiss and Italian partners have started first steps to launch activities in favor of ecological connectivity following the common alpine approach developed by the Ecological Continuum Initiative and the Econnect project.
Besides the evaluation of the area carried out according to the criteria developed by the Platform Ecological Network of the Alpine Convention that could be finalized with success at the beginning of the year, an analysis is been realized with the online mapping tool JECAMI that will allow to define the potential of the area concerning ecological connectivity and to develop a list of concrete actions that should be started.
An important international event is planned for May 2012 that will bring together the most important actors of the area and that will also be the occasion to start the activities in synergy with all concerned sectors.

Source: www.alparc.org/actualites]]> No publisher zopemaster 2012-04-25T17:55:31Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4054 CIPRA sees itself as something of a networker. And this applies to nature conservation as well. It brings officials, local authorities and scientists together, regardless of national borders. After all, animal and plant migrations don’t stop at border barriers either. The man sitting opposite him, Michael Vogel, Director of the Berchtesgaden National Park, also laughs at the saying. Both men have agreed to meet at the Gasthof Hirschbichl right on the German-Austrian border, a rustic Stube with chequered tablecloths and walls bristling with antlers. A sandstone obelisk in front of the Gasthof marks the border between two states and also the border between a National Park, in which nature is left entirely to its own devices, and the Alpine pastures tended by Weissbach’s farmers.
Josef Hohenwarter and Michael Vogel have ambitious plans: their respective territories are at the heart of the 2,000 km2 pilot region of Berchtesgaden-Salzburg, in which a radical new approach in Alpine nature conservation is to be adopted. The experiment goes by the name of “Econnect” and is being subsidised by the EU in seven pilot regions (see box at page 7). Econnect aims to find ways in which a “consistent ecological continuum” might be achieved in the Alps.
The fundamental concept is that it’s not enough to put individual areas under protection; instead, animals and also plants must be allowed to migrate freely between the protected areas – across borders and artificial man-made barriers such as roads, fields and settlements. Otherwise the protected areas remain islands that cannot ensure the survival of the species. Biodiversity declines as a result and, along with it, the stability of the entire ecosystem.
Michael Vogel and Josef Hohenwarter have hatched many a project together. The first was the route of the “Alpine Experience Bus”, which takes visitors through the National Park into the Salzburger Land, and also calls in at Gasthof Hirschbichl. The second was an Alpine cheese dairy featuring a small exhibition. The contact between people across the border works well. Now it’s time for the animals to follow suit. “We know far too little about the migration of amphibians, reptiles and insects across the green border”, says Michael Vogel. “Where are the barriers? Where can we restore ecological corridors?”
Visitors to the Berchtesgaden National Park are astonished that in recent years they have seen so few butterflies. And biologists who on the German side have come across decades-old droppings from horseshoe bats have been searching in vain for a current population. “Why aren’t there any horseshoe bats flying across from the Salzburger Land any more?” asks MichaelVogel.
When flying from their overnight location to their hunting ground, bats use the vegetation that grows along streams and rivers to find their way. They emit ultrasound waves that bounce off trees and shrubs. But if farmers have been clearing the trees and shrubs along river banks to extend their arable land, the bats lose their bearings. They are forced to restrict their flying and hunting radius. In extreme cases the connection between two bat populations may be broken, and each population is forced into incest and ultimate decline. So it’s of little use if the overnight location and the hunting ground are situated in two different protected areas.
Amphibians need pools and lakes for spawning in summer and undergrowth for hibernating in winter. These two biotopes have to be close to each other and not separated by busy roads. Hedgehogs and red-backed shrike love the hedges and bushes that line the edge of forests. When they migrate, they carry pollen with them on their spines and feathers, thereby helping plants to propagate. Nature needs bridges and corridors.
The pilot region of Berchtesgaden-Salzburg is ten times the size of the National Park, which is Michael Vogel’s responsibility. His task is to motivate the municipalities to co-operate, along with land owners, the Provincial Offices for Environmental Protection on both the German and the Austrian side, the forestry commission, environmental associations, and the population.
And of course the farmers of Weissbach. Without their consent, for example, biologists cannot walk across Alpine pastures and count butterfly numbers. And yet particularly in Weissbach, biologists are looking for answers to the question of how well these ecologically vital meadows in the border region are connected and where heavily fertilised meadows represent a barrier: many plant species do not thrive on fertilized soil, and so the butterflies stay away.
If you ask Josef Hohenwarter why getting permission for a butterfly census might be a problem, you’ll get an amused smile. Six years ago biologists made their first attempt. But the farmers of Weissbach were not amused: “We’re not going to let these eco-nuts turn us into a zoo!” There were even rumours of a threat of expropriation. But then, at the second attempt at the beginning of June, the farmers instantly gave their permission.
So what had happened? In two dozen meetings Josef Hohenwarter had managed to convince his farmers that they should upgrade their meadows to be legally recognized as the “Weiss-bach Nature Park” and as a result get better prices for their milk. In order to obtain nature park recognition, farmers may only mow their meadows once a year; they must also dispense entirely with fertilizer, and protect ponds from cattle hoofs. Indeed, Weissbach was recognised as a Nature Park in 2007. Since then the farmers have been selling their milk for 85 cents a litre – three times more than the competition in the valley.
Josef Hohenwarter grins broadly as he sips his coffee at Gasthof Hirschbichl: “Now there are waiting lists of farmers wanting to be included in the Nature Park. We have won their support.” And with it the basis for new projects. The region is to become barrier-free. That includes fish ladders at weirs, underpasses for amphibians under a busy road, and crossing points for deer at green bridges.
It’s 11 am. Michael Vogel has to leave; he gets into his VW bus and drives down a steep track through spruce forests littered with fallen tree trunks rotting away. Mist shrouds the summit of the Watzmann, soaring high above the Königssee. At Aschauerweiher a dozen rangers dressed in hunting green are already waiting for him. One of their duties is to guide groups of visitors through the National Park. As part of Econnect they are to be shown how they can help to collect data on the occurrence of amphibians and reptiles in the course of their hikes. A biologist from Bavaria’s programme for the protection of species „Artenhilfsprogramm Kreuzotter“ introduces the rangers to the habits of snakes, butterflies and salamanders, then hides laminated photos along a stream, and lets the group search for themselves. “The yellow-bellied toad likes reeds,” he tells them, “and the Apollo butterfly is fond of the blossoms of the Sedum album”. The rangers move out and go in search of the photos. As they will do later when out and about, their task is to enter what they find on a form entitled “Unknown diversity in the Berchtesgaden National Park”, together with the co-ordinates and a precise description of the site of the find.
In the late afternoon Michael Vogel returns to Berchtesgaden and drives through the narrow streets to the National Park’s administrative building, a bright structure with wonderful views over the rooftops and gables of Berchtesgaden’s houses, across to the slopes of the National Park. The skeleton of a golden eagle sits regally on Michael Vogel’s desk. Two members of the National Park staff entrusted with the Econnect project enter and report on a conference where representatives of the seven pilot regions exchanged their experiences two years after the start of Econnect. The unanimous feedback is that the most difficult part of the project is getting the local partners to link up. Michael Vogel is not surprised by the findings. “We need the Alpine platform to be able to come up with a project such as this in the first place and get it financed,” he explains. “And then we have to implement it locally with our partners.”
The foundations for the political and financial support of Econnect are to be secured through the Alpine Convention. The Ecological Network platform provides a forum for nature conservation authorities in all the Alpine states, plus organisations such as CIPRA. “In the past all we saw was our National Park. CIPRA made us realise the benefits of cross-border co-operation throughout the entire Alpine region”, says Michael Vogel. “What we particularly appreciate are the incentives from best practice examples from other pilot regions and the scientific data and methodology.”
Econnect’s influence is already being felt beyond the pilot regions. Michael Vogel regularly meets nature conservationists from the nearby Chiemgau Alps and the Tauern range. He is also preparing for a trip to South Korea. The environmental commission there is fascinated by the idea that it is not so much a matter of protecting individual nature reserves, but of establishing linking pastures, bushes, wetland areas, ponds, roof trusses, etc. “For the Koreans it’s an entirely new concept”.

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Networking works
Since 2002 CIPRA, together with the WWF’s Alpine Programme, the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (alparc) and the International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps (ISCAR), has advocated the networking of habitats in the Alps. The “Ecological Continuum Initiative” is designed to enhance these habitats and facilitate exchanges between them. To this end the four partners not only encourage projects, but also support and network their activities. In 2009, the initiative was funded by Switzerland’s MAVA Foundation for Nature to the sum of CHF 384,000 (EUR 269,000). Econnect implements the ideas of the Ecological Continuum Initiative in practical projects, in seven pilot regions across the Alps. The project is being co-financed by the European Union from September 2008 until August 2011 to the sum of CHF 4.86 million (EUR 3.2 million). The Alpine Convention’s Ecological Network Platform establishes networks among those political bodies that are of relevance to the ecological continuum, including CIPRA.
www.econnectproject.eu
www.alpine-ecological-network.org
Source: Annual Report 2009 CIPRA International
www.cipra.org/en/CIPRA/cipra-international]]> No publisher zopemaster 2012-04-25T17:54:57Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4517 The ECONNECT partners have now compiled their results in a series of publications. There are dedicated reports for ECONNECT's key target groups: all different kinds of stakeholders (final booklet), experts (synopsis, species reports, reports on legal barriers), policy makers (policy recommendations) and practitioners (implementation recommendations). www.econnectproject.eu/cms/?q=download_area.

Final booklet: WEBS OF LIFE - biodiversity needs ecological connectivity. Results from the ECONNECT project
On 68 pages the final booklet presents all ECONNECT findings and results in an easily comprehensible way which is suitable for a wide range of actors. The booklet describes among others the project's major achievements, its results on the connectivity status and needs of six key species such as lynx or grouse as well as examples on the experiences of the seven pilot regions and the actions they carried out in order to improve connectivity on the ground. The booklet is available in English, German, French, Italian and Slovenian. For a free printed copy please email to Riccardo Nigro: r.nigro@wwfrp.it.

Synopsis: Towards ecological connectivity in the Alps. The ECONNECT Project Synopsis
The synopsis gives an insight into ECONNECT's work and findings from a more scientific point of view. It presents for example the project's results on different kinds of barriers: in the legal framework, in society, related to data and in the field. The innovative connectivity mapping and analysis tool JECAMI is explained with its different parts on continuum suitability, on species, on priority areas and on riverine landscapes. The synopsis closes with an outlook on future challenges.
The synopsis will soon be available in English. For a free printed copy please email to Leopold Füreder: Leopold.Fuereder@uibk.ac.at.

Implementation Recommendations
In order to be able to respond to threats such as pollution, invasive species or unsustainable use an active management of protected areas and the active implementation of connectivity measures are needed. During the ECONNECT project, seven Pilot regions under the leadership of protected area administrations applied a common methodology to determine and realize different concrete measures and to establish spatial links in order to improve the situation of ecological connectivity in their territory. The experiences and lessons learnt out of this three years' process have been summarized in the 'Implementation Recommendations' which are mainly addressing other protected area administrations or experts working in the field of nature conservation.
The implementation recommendations are available in English and soon also in German, French, Italian and Slovenian. For a free printed copy please email to Leopold Füreder: Leopold.Fuereder@uibk.ac.at.

Policy recommendations
With the policy recommendations the ECONNECT partners intend to inform policy makers and decision makers at all levels, from local to regional to trans-national, about key conclusions of the project. The purpose of the 16 pages report is to stimulate further development of and support for the ecological connectivity concept. The five main issues are valorisation of ecological connectivity, legal framework, spatial planning, protected areas and data management.
The policy recommendations are available in English and soon also in German, French, Italian and Slovenian. For a free printed copy please email to Leopold Füreder: Leopold.Fuereder@uibk.ac.at.

Reports on key species: lynx, wolf, brown bear, red deer, griffon vulture, black grouse
ECONNECT identified the anthropogenic barriers that influence the movements of different indicator species, based on their ecological requirements. The reports on lynx, wolf, brown bear, red deer, griffon vulture and black grouse each show areas of actual and potential distribution and barriers that limit ecological connectivity. The species reports are available in English on the ECONNECT web (downloads, final documents).

Reports on legal barriers
As soon as further financial resources will be available outside the ECONNECT Project, the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, as lead partner of WP6, intends to autonomously issue probably by Spring 2012 a specific publication in English language (if possible also in Italian) regarding all the work carried out within the WP6 to be disseminated to the public both on the web and as a paper publication.]]> No publisher zopemaster 2011-11-29T18:55:31Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4515 In order to analyse and visualize connectivity on an alpine-wide level as well as on a regional level for the seven Pilot Areas ECONNECT partners needed geographic data. Similar as in many other projects, they experienced that excessive time and resources had to be invested for procuring, processing and analysing data from a variety of sources. Therefore ECONNECT recommends making publicly funded data openly available and easily accessible through a centralised data management platform.<br/>ECONNECT researchers set up a repository of geographic data necessary for the analysis of ecological networks, and the detection of barriers for selected species in the Alps. A number of maps were produced for each Pilot Region as well as for the Alps visualising the connections between protected areas in the Pilot Regions and analysis outcomes such as the modelling results for the selected key species on the Alpine-wide level. Collected data and maps are available for the interested public in an online geodata archive.<br/>More information: http://gis.eurac.edu/

]]> No publisher zopemaster 2011-11-29T18:55:30Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4511 Besides classic communication tools such as newsletters and press releases ECONNECT used innovative tools to raise awareness among the general public and the stakeholders. www.econnectproject.eu/cms/?q=news/en

ECONNECT also invited a class of photograph students to use their creativity to explore ecological connectivity. Images taken at the Alpi Marittime Natural Park (one of the ECONNECT pilot regions) were used to set up an exhibition that was displayed at the ECONNECT Final Conference. The exhibition can be borrowed from all interested organisations. Please email to Riccardo Nigro for further details: r.nigro@wwfrp.it.
More information: www.econnectproject.eu/cms/?q=download_area]]> No publisher zopemaster 2011-11-29T18:55:28Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4510 In ECONNECT's Pilot Regions a number of actions were implemented improving connectivity for selected species and habitats. The white-backed wood picker was in the focus in the Northern Limestone Alps; Berchtesgaden-Salzburg improved extensively utilised grasslands; Hohe Tauern provided freedom for western capercaillie; the Southwestern Alps cooperated with ski companies on aerial connectivity; Isère switched off its lights; and the Raethian Triangle negotiated in favour of the Rombach River. More details about the specific actions in the field are provided in the final booklet.<br/>In order to ensure the success and the coherence of such measures in the Alpine-wide picture, the partners developed a comprehensive methodology. The results derived from the analysis in all Pilot Regions will serve as a basis for future spatial planning processes so that the spaces not yet fragmented and essential for species movements can be preserved.

]]> No publisher zopemaster 2011-11-29T18:55:28Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4501 Many animals live in particular outside of protected areas; most persons are not aware of the importance of ecological networks; a functioning economy needs biodiversity. These are the most important findings of ECONNECT. The Alpine-wide project came to its end in November 2011 after a bit more than three years of work. In the seven pilot regions of the project first successful actions have been undertaken for connecting habitats. The project of the Austrian National Park Hohe Tauern has already been a model for the "Capercaillie action plan" of the Austrian province of Carinthia.
The results of the ECONNECT project have been documented in various final publications: www.econnectproject.eu/cms/?q=download_area]]> No publisher zopemaster 2011-11-15T18:54:45Z CipraNews http://www.alpine-ecological-network.org/news/4490 Under the umbrella of the ECONNECT project , during three years, 16 international partners worked towards extending and protecting the Alpine ecological network. The results of their work were presented in Berchtesgaden, Germany, from 26th to 28th September 2011.
Within the ECONNECT project , since 2009 ALPARC and 15 other partners analysed the issue of ecological connectivity in the Alps both from functional (presence of barriers such as motorways and dams) and legal (differences and contradictions among different legislative systems which could limit the creation of an ecological network) points of view.

A solid methodology to identify the key corridors and physical barriers, even “invisible”, which could threaten the connectivity, has been developed. It has also been created a useful mapping tool to visualise barriers and corridors, which can illustrate the concept of ecological connectivity for policy makers and planners. In addition, in seven pilot regions solutions for enhancing connectivity were carried out in field.

The results of this experience, maturated in three years of work, were presented at the Final Conference of ECONNECT, which took place from 26th to 28th September in Berchtesgaden (D). The conference had great success from the point of view of both participation and possible future developments.
Indeed, it was the occasion to suggest innovative ways of protecting our Alpine natural heritage and provided a forum for discussing ways to place ecological connectivity firmly on the European political agenda, thanks also to the introduction of recommendation policies for politic decision-makers about how to convert degraded and fragmented alpine ecosystems into a healthy ecological network.

Source: www.alparc.org/nachrichten]]> No publisher zopemaster 2011-11-03T18:53:49Z CipraNews