ALPARC Council Meeting

ALPARC’s goal is to implement the Convention’s Nature Conservation and Landscape Management protocol. Eight countries are signatories to this international treaty: Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia and Switzerland.

Among the areas in which it is active, ALPARC has for a number of years carried out projects and activities relating to:

• preservation of biodiversity in the Alpine region and the setting up of an ecological continuum
• regional development and quality of life in Alpine regions
• environmental education and raising awareness of mountain preservation

The Principality participates in and supports a variety of ALPARC projects. In particular, the country is involved in the biodiversity and ecological connectivity project, the main aim of which is to conserve, restore or recreate the links between the different habitats found in the Alpine region.

The idea of setting up a transalpine environmental network is supported by the work of the Ecological Network Platform established within the framework of the Alpine Convention, of which Monaco is a member. This cross-border approach makes it possible to set out a new vision for protecting nature in the Alps. Linkages are developed between the protected areas in the zone, which provides opportunities to experiment with the implementation of the network. Recommendations have also been issued to help with the formulation of strategies and policies for regional development and the protection of biodiversity.

It is customary for countries to take it in turns to organise Council meetings. The last meeting in the Principality took place in March 2012.

Ms Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development, is “delighted to welcome to Monaco for the second time members of ALPARC, whose work is central to the preservation of protected areas in the Alpine region. It is also a forum for exchange and dialogue between all those who share this vast space.”

Ms Valérie Davenet, Director of the Department of the Environment and a member of the ALPARC Council will attend the meeting, which will be held at the Novotel hotel, with the participation of the Department of International Relations and support from the Tourist and Convention Authority.