Every year, the Danilo Re trophy unites about 50 teams of protected areas and bodies which work in close relation to them - the Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention participated for the third time with a team. These “Olympic Games of Rangers” consisting of ski mountaineering, giant slalom, shooting and cross country skiing are complemented with a cultural program and a seminar to exchange on topics of relevance for the parks' employees. This year’s topic was on the role of the protected areas and their staff in raising awareness and reconnecting the young people to the mountain environment, to which the Alpine Convention staff gave a presentation on projects related to youth, like the Youth parliament to the Alpine Convention or the Young Academics Award. All events took place in the Réserve naturelle Contamines-Montjoie, which celebrated its 40th anniversary!
Ambassador Markus Reiterer highlighted the importance of the common goal, which united all participants of all parts of the event, to contribute to an intact Alpine region, in which nature and human inhabitants can live together sustainably and well. What an impressive event, which showed how lively the exchange between protected areas in the Alps and beyond, and thus the implementation of article 12 of the Protocol nature protection and landscape conservation is!
During his visit to the French Alps, Reiterer also met with Vice President of the Provence Alps Côte d'Azur Region Chantal Eyméoud, to discuss ways to bring forward pressing mountain issues.