National Parks
The Tyrol, a mountainous region with fragile and remarkable ecosystems, is home to two national parks, as well as a number of nature parks, criss-crossed by numerous hiking and cycling trails.
Hohe Tauern National Park: partly located in Carinthia, Salzburg and Tyrol, this is the largest national park in Central Europe. Renowned for its sumptuous landscapes, it is home to a rich biodiversity.
Stelvio National Park: shared by Trentino, Lombardy and South Tyrol, this park is home to high mountains, lakes and forests, offering sublime landscapes through the seasons.
Nature parks include
Karwendel Nature Park: located in North Tyrol, north of the Inn valley, it offers a wide variety of environments and a rich biodiversity.
Zillertal Alps Nature Park : in North Tyrol, a popular destination for mountaineers, home to 85 glaciers and breathtaking scenery.
Fanes-Sennes-Braies Nature Park : located in South Tyrol, it boasts extremely picturesque landscapes, high mountains and lakes, alpine meadows and high plateaus. In addition to its geology, its biodiversity is exceptional.
Schlern-Rosengarten Nature Park: in South Tyrol, home to the emblematic Dolomite mountains (Santner peak and Uringer) and their rich ecosystems.
Towards a resilient agriculture
By 2021, with more than a quarter of its farmland cultivated - and certified - as organic, Austria was leading the world in this field. Pioneering farmers in the inter-war years, the structuring of the sector from the 1960s onwards, communication in the media and financial support from the State were behind this success. Supermarkets have also been involved in the distribution of organic products since the 1990s. Consumption of organic produce is growing rapidly in Italy.
In Italy's South Tyrol region, voices are being raised in favor of developing organic farming, in a landscape marked by intensive arboriculture and high pesticide consumption, which accounts for almost a quarter of European production. Organic farming is growing, however, with 10% of the region's apple production grown organically. The commune of Malles Venosta, in Alto Adige, was a pioneer in this field thanks to the activism of its inhabitants, and despite the powerful pesticide lobby. Following a referendum in 2014, it became Europe's first pesticide-free commune. More precisely, a regulation was put in place prohibiting the spraying of pesticides around houses, rendering the use of pesticides in the commune obsolete given the small surface area of the plots.
Faced with the ecological emergency
Tyrol is particularly vulnerable to climate change. A scientific assessment report in 2014 indicated that the increase in temperatures compared to the pre-industrial era was already approaching +2°C in the Alps. Climate change could lead to a greater frequency and intensity of extreme events (including floods, droughts, landslides and forest fires). Melting glaciers - 80% of which could disappear in the Alps by the end of the century - would threaten agriculture and hydropower production. Faced with this situation, Austria has set itself the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. In addition to the mobility-related measures mentioned above, the country intends to introduce tax incentives, as well as measures such as a ban on oil-fired heating by 2035. The energy mix, which is two-thirds fossil-fuel based, is set to increase its share of renewable energies (hydroelectricity, biomass) to 50% by 2030, as well as to expand (wind, solar). Energy efficiency is an important lever, along with sobriety and the circular economy.
Civil society is also involved in climate protection. For example, over 160,000 people have signed a petition opposing a mega-project to link the two glaciers of the Pitztal and Söldenn resorts. The work, estimated at 130 million euros, will involve blasting and pouring concrete to build a tunnel, water reservoir and ski lifts. In 2017, the people of the Austrian Tyrol also voted against hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Val Venosta, in South Tyrol, is a pioneer in the Alps of the common good economy. This is an approach based on ecology, social justice and solidarity, with the aim of developing quality of life and resilience. This has led, for example, to the introduction of specific criteria in public procurement contracts. For more information on this type of initiative: www.cipra.org.
Let's also be aware that our activities generate impacts, and that we are also agents of change.
Promote "slow travel"
Austria has embarked on an ambitious policy to promote low-carbon mobility. This strategy is underpinned by the extension of its rail network, which now comprises 27 lines. The country has also announced a budget of 7 billion euros to electrify the entire network by 2035. The region is not only accessible by train, but also by bike. North Tyrol offers almost 1,000 km of cycle lanes, with associated services (rentals, etc.). These include the Inn cycle route, the Via Claudia Augusta, the Drauradweg cycle path, the Adige (Etsch) cycle route and EuroVelo7. A network of Alpine villages, Alpine Pearls, offers car-free tourism(www.alpine-pearls.com).
Food from short, local circuits, produced using agro-ecological processes, is another pillar of climate and life protection. The Slowfood movement, among other initiatives, develops food-based ecotourism programs and supports small-scale producers (slowfood.it). The agriturismo network brings together organic farms that welcome visitors(www.agriturismo.it/fr).
