Alpine Natural Protected Areas as Best Practise Islands for the Current Global Changes
In 2024, the Youth Parliament of the Alpine Convention (YPAC) took place in Kamnik/Stein, located in the northern part of Slovenia. Among the 82 delegates from ten Alpine schools were seven representatives from Innsbruck, including Melanie Wolf, Rachel Lynham, Vita Fink, Janoah Eberharter, Lukas Kofler, and MD Tasin Ibn Huq.
The focal point of discussion revolved around Alpine natural protected areas. Each of the seven YPAC Alpine countries has its own regulations for protecting natural areas and its own approaches to develop them as islands for sustainable development. The delegates formed four committees, working on the topics of biodiversity, cultural heritage, climate change, and quality of life in the Alps. The committees with its presidency were responsible to think insightfully and formulate twelve postulations for the final general assembly in the national parliament of Slovenia in Ljubljana/Laibach. Selected postulations were finally voted on at the YPAC-parliament with speeches in favour or against each.
The opening ceremony, inaugurated by Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar, resonated with a call to action for the youth with the statement, ‘we don’t have a planet B, it’s the only one earth we all have. And YPAC is one way that the youth can find solutions for our challenges’. The presence of Emil Ferjančič, Chairman of the Permanent Committee of the Alpine Convention, and Alenka Smerkoji, Secretary-General of the Alpine Convention, further invigorated the spirit of the delegates and committee members.
Notably, the 2024 YPAC marked a historic milestone as it witnessed direct collaboration between the European Union Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) and the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA) alongside YPAC, signifying a united front in the pursuit of Alpine conservation and sustainability.
MD Tasin Ibn Huq/Matthias Danninger
