Ad hoc Expert Group for the Elaboration of the 6th Report on the State of the Alps (2015-2016)

Chair: Germany

The Alpine Convention publishes on a biennial basis the Report on the State of the Alps on specific topics of particular relevance to the Alps. The RSA6 Working Group was up as an ad hoc expert group and entrusted with the preparation of the report.  

The RSA6 was dedicated to the topic “Greening the economy in the Alpine region”. This intersectoral issue reflected a wide variety of activities carried out, in the past years, in the framework of the Working Groups and Platforms of the Alpine Convention, particularly on the topics of nature conservation and landscape management, mountain farming, mountain forests, tourism, energy, soil conservation, transport, demographic and climate change.

The relevance of the topic of greening the economy as a pathway for sustainable development was also grounded in several orientations given by previous Alpine Conferences. The XI. Alpine Conference (Brdo pri Kranju, March 2011) for instance "asked the Contracting Parties to combine forces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to apply the potential for neutralising them in the Alpine territories to as broad and extent as possible, in the various sectors, taking into consideration the national policies for mitigation and the regional and local initiatives adopted in the Alpine territory". Moreover, the XII. Alpine Conference (Poschiavo, September 2012) reaffirmed "its commitment to greater sustainability of mountain areas".

The ad hoc Working Group focused on the collection and evaluation of Pan-Alpine data and information on the status of green economy in the Alps as well as its potential., of good practices (public policies, measures and instruments, civil society initiatives and projects from the private sector) that promote green economy in the Alps while emphasizing on the economic, ecologic and social benefits. This desktop process was supplemented with a bibliographical study of scientific reports on the potential and advantages of a green economy in the Alpine Region. Finally, the report aimed at formulating policy recommendations on the implementation of good practices and their transferability.