Biodiversity & Nature Conservation

The Alps represent a remarkable ecological system, characterised by a diverse array of flora and fauna including more than 30.000 animal species and 13.000 plant species. Beyond this, they offer a multitude of ecosystem services, encompassing water and forestry resources, natural hazard mitigation, climate change adaptation, and numerous additional benefits.

Biodiversity in the Alps is under pressure from many sources, in particular fragmentation and habitat loss due to changes in land use. Whether due to roads or urban expansion, ecological corridors can be disrupted, making vital movement for species more difficult, more risky or even impossible. With the impacts of climate change, strengthening ecological corridors will be even more essential to guarantee the natural adaptation of species through migration.

The Alpine Convention and its Nature Protection and Landscape Conservation Protocol are designed to reinforce collective efforts between Alpine countries to face these challenges.

Alpine biodiversity issues are not confined to the Alps, but rather extend to other regions, including the Carpathian Mountains. In 2023, a trilateral Memorandum of Cooperation was renewed between the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Carpathian Convention, and the Alpine Convention to deepen cooperation on the topic of biodiversity.

Protocols and Declarations

• Declaration of the XVI Alpine Conference on the Protection of Mountain Biodiversity and its Promotion at International Level
• Nature Protection and Landscape Conservation Protocol

Thematic Working Bodies

• Alpine Biodiversity Board
• Large Carnivores, Wild Ungulates and Society Working Group (WISO)
• Natural Hazards Working Group (PLANALP)
• Ecological Network Platform (2006-2019)

Selected Documents and Publications

• Policy Brief on Biodiversity (2024)
• Nature-based Solutions and their Governance Structures for Climate Action in the Alpine Region (2024), also available in German
• Report of the survey of main policies and instruments for Alpine biodiversity (2020)
• Summary of the exchange on wild ungulate monitoring on the WISO meeting (2020)
• Prevention of damages caused by large carnivores in the Alps (2020)
• PLACE Report on Spatial Planning and Ecological Connectivity (2019)
• Recommendations for the implementation of Art. 11(1) of the Nature Conservation and landscape Protection Protocol (2017)
• Multi-Annual Work Programme of the Alpine Conference 2017-2022 (2017)
• Alpine Nature 2030: Creating [ecological] connectivity for generations to come (2016)
• The Important Role of Ecological Connectivity for Adaptation to Climate Change Impacts in the Alps (2016)
• Evaluation of the Pilot Regions for Ecological Connectivity of the Alpine Convention - regarding the first eight pilot regions established in 2011 (2016)
• Determination of the areas of particular importance for the Alpine ecological network - connectivity analysis (2012) - available in German, French, Italian, and Slovenian
• The indicators for the ecological network: indicators for monitoring of durable development in the Alpine regions - a synthesis (2012)
• Synopsis of initial country reports on the status of ecological connectivity
• The Ecological Network in the Alps: Defining criteria and objectives for pilot regions (2009)

Projects

• Nature restoration in the Alpine region: a challenge and an excellent opportunity for cooperation - Concept paper based on the results of the international online workshop (19 November 2024)
• AlpsLife (Alpine Space Programme) (2024)
• Alpine Biodiversity Conference (12 June 2024)
• Mountain Biodiversity Day (13 January 2021)
• ALPBIONET 2030 (Alpine Space Programme) – integrative Alpine wildlife and habitat management for the next generation (2016-2019)
• AlpES (Alpine Space Programme) – Alpine ecosystem service mapping, maintenance and management project (2015-2018)