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The production of renewable energy is a topic that has been receiving a lot of attention.  The EU aims to obtain 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.  Many regions in the Alpine space are planning to increase renewable energy production to achieve energy autonomy while also providing a stimulus for regional development.  How will this impact nature in the Alps? How can we ensure that biodiversity conservation objectives are integrated into regional development planning processes, for example when deciding where to locate a new hydropower or wind energy plant?  These and other important questions will be tackled by a  new international project, recharge.green, which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the umbrella of the Alpine Space Programme<link typo3>[1] (total project value 2.7 Million €). 

First meeting of project partners in Vienna

As lead partner the Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, recently convened the first meeting of cooperating partners from Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, and Slovenia.  Representatives from academia, government, the energy sector, and NGOs met in Vienna to clarify objectives and the different partners´ tasks and responsibilities.   By summer 2015, the project will have created practical tools that decision makers can use to balance the needs of regional development with those of conserving biodiversity, soils, and ecological connectivity in the landscape.   In a first step, the project will model the renewable energy “carrying capacity” of the Alpine space, based on different models and scenarios.

Interface between development and conservation

Prof. Chris Walzer, who already has much experience co-ordinating an international team of partner organisations from his leadership of the Alpine Space ECONNECT project is guiding and co-ordinating all partners´ efforts.  “While it is clear that this is a very ambitious project, the project partners firmly believe that at the interface of development and conservation we have to be prepared to think big”, he says.

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<link typo3>[1] The Alpine Space Programme is the EU transnational cooperation programme for the Alps.  Partners from the seven Alpine countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Switzerland)  work together to promote sustainable regional development.

 

(Web-editor on 23 October 2012)