Ad hoc Working Group for the Elaboration of the 10th Report on the State of the Alps

Every two years, the Alpine Convention publishes the Report on the State of the Alps (RSA), an in-depth analysis of topics of particular relevance to the Alps. The Reports are the result of the collective work of an international team, and they tackle environmental, economic or social themes at an Alpine-wide scale, without losing focus on the situation in each Alpine country. This approach, together with the expertise of delegates from the Contracting Parties and Observers, allows the combination of science and policy, helping identify Alpine dynamics as well as offering common recommendations or proposals for action. To carry out this important and ambitious task, the XVII Alpine Conference established an RSA 10 ad hoc Working Group to deal with the topic quality of life in the Alps.

Perceptions of quality of life are affected by territorial circumstances as well as the individual and social expectations and desires of people living in a particular place. It includes shared ideas on what is important to make life more pleasant, accessible, and less burdensome in a common territory. Understanding this can be beneficial for helping policy and decision-makers create policies and find synergies to improve quality of life.

This is why the Slovenian Presidency of the Alpine Convention has decided to address this topic in a holistic manner for the first time, and dedicate the RSA 10 to quality of life. The report will address different aspects of quality of life in different parts of the Alpine region to enable a comprehensive understanding of the current situation. Furthermore it will provide insights for the preparation of sustainable development policies which focus on promoting people’s wellbeing.

The year 2023 was an active year of RSA 10 preparation activities. The ad hoc Working Group for the RSA 10 met four times, three times on site: in January in Innsbruck (AT), in June in Radovljica (SI), and in September in Bolzano/Bozen (IT). The initial activities were dedicated to discussing objectives, targets groups, and the structure of the report. The latter was confirmed at the 76^th Permanent Committee meeting in Radovljica. The Working Group agreed that the scientific analysis would be prepared first, including the analysis of the situation regarding quality of life (QoL) shown with indicators and maps, a report on the Alpine-wide QoL survey, a QoL governance framework, and a general overview of the QoL concept and studies done so far on the topic for the Alpine area. In addition to this, major threats were identified and described.

• On the basis of this agreement, existing databases and data were screened and, according to the agreed concept of QoL, the ESPON Territorial QoL concept was adapted to the needs of the Alpine territory and core indicators were identified. Maps were made for some of the indicators while for the rest, other types of graphical representation were selected.
• In parallel, a survey was prepared and distributed at end of May across the whole Alpine area. The survey was left open for almost three months and ultimately, 3000 responses were found useful for the analysis. Information about satisfaction with QoL in general and five elements in particular (environment, infrastructure and services, work and financial conditions, social relations, and governance) was collected, as was more detailed information on public transport, affordable housing, secondary housing, factors that influence QoL, and predicted changes to QoL in the future.
• For the third parallel activity, the governance analysis in support of the QoL Working Group members answered the questions in a pre-prepared form, followed by a collection of good practice examples. This collection gathered evidence and good solutions for Alpine Convention countries, regions, and local communities to improve QoL for their residents.
• In the last workshop in Bolzano/Bozen, challenges and recommendations were identified as a starting point for the discussion regarding the recommendations of the RSA 10.

The year 2023 concluded with finalising the scientific report (which will serve as a technical annex to the RSA 10) on the basis of the research done and the contributions of the Working Group members. The group’s main activity in 2024 will be to draft the RSA 10 according to the approved structure.

Contact: 
Tomaž Miklavčič, Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning
tomaz.miklavcic1@gov.si