A podcast by Sipra. In podcast, de la sipra. In podcast, de la sipra. De la sipra.
De la sipra podcast. We bring podcast. Interviews, background talks and voices from all Alpine countries. Listen to this and more in the podcast of the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps, www.sipra.org.org.
. . Welcome to the Sipra podcast. My name is Michel Gams.
In the next 20 minutes, you will hear the second part of the conversation with Serena Arduino and Bianca Itenbama, the new co-presidents of Sipra International. I talk to them about TIPRA's role in society and politics, how to reshape the economy in the Alps together, and about Bianca's and Serena's vision for the Alps in the year 2013. You both took over from Katarina Konradin, under whose presidency, Sipra, has continued to develop from an environmental organization into one of the leading organizations for sustainable development in the Alpine region. Katarina said that raising awareness is the beginning of any change.
Which topics should Sipra raise awareness for in your eyes? Bianca. What we really care about, and I think there is an enormous strength in the Alps, is around the commons. This is about commonly managed and governed resources.
This can be forest, it can be pastures, it can be waterways and so on. That's really something that we could build on and where we could enhance the visibility of commons, but also strengthening them. When the community is getting involved in managing together and deciding together what to do with the land that they are on, it usually moves towards more sustainable ways of engaging with that land. Because making profit out of it is not the primary goal.
The primary goal becomes well, sustaining the next generations. I think there we really could push on it. Because it's something that inspires young people. Although it sometimes has the thing of like, oh, that's something that our elders did, that's something from the past.
It is very much present today. It is inspiring. I think I would also be really keen that we as Sipra speak to young people and that we get involved. Because young people actually are present and our future.
And Sipra is already doing a brilliant job with the Sipra Youth Council. I think this can really be built on and maybe make much more presence. Sipra is already doing this in pastive work. And a bit like Serena, I'm really in this idea that with the Alps, we can create a space of inspiration for others.
That the Alps is such a fantastic space where we can try different modes of sustaining livelihoods. And we have so many visitors coming through. It could almost become like a school for regenerative living. Tourists come and they see that you can live differently.
That economies can be structured differently. And from there, I see it for different things. Because people come to visit us from all over the world and they can then tell about our practices in other places and really be inspired to take action. So the Alps is cool for sustainable development.
It's a really nice picture that you paint here. Serena, which topics should Sipra raise awareness for in your eyes? The ecosystem restoration, which most of us do without knowing that it is called ecosystem restoration, paying attention to what is happening at European level, Europe wants to become a leader in environmental policies. I think we should support this and make sure that it's not blah, blah, blah.
But there is a walk behind the talk. And also all these processes that are happening need people. It's not just about restoring an ecosystem, but it is about restoring it with the people. And also for the people.
Participation is mandatory. It's not just a possibility. There is no robust restoration of ecosystems if the people are not behind it. And the same for policies.
Governments could create the best policies ever. But if the people are not made aware of them and convinced that they are good, they won't collaborate. And finally, I think that very important people are the policymakers. They often, but always, I am assuming they have good intentions, but they need our help.
So if they issue a good policy, they need to be supported. If they open a consultation to improve a policy, they need to receive our contribution. So Sipra, I believe, needs to be a part of these policy processes, to improve them, disseminate them, criticize them when it is appropriate to criticize them. So we need to remember that policies are important.
In some cases, they are the key because they lead to a good thinking environment. So that's what I think Sipra should put a lot of effort. Reshaping economy in the Alps together. That's the current focus topic of Sipra for this and next year.
Which good examples for reshaping economy in the Alps come to your mind when you think about this topic? Yeah. Well, I think actually that the Alps are ready for people who are reshaping the economy together. And I think it's very often about connecting them up and making them visible.
Because there is lots of interesting young farmers, younger and older farmers, who are doing amazing work. There is people being in social enterprises who work on social services in ways that are very inspiring. And where people really take up the call of saying the economy is what we make of it. And they want to shape it together.
And where they put well-being at the core of it all. So I think in every sector that you look, you find virtuous examples where people do amazing work. But very often, in the discourse, they are still marginalized. And if they would be a niche.
Whereas I would be much more into narrative of saying they are in the future. That's what we need to follow. And I think Sipra is doing great work on that already. In sustaining them, in making them visible.
And there I think it's really interesting to work, like Serenas said, to work at EU level and to really connect people up and working networks. And also show on a local level that these economies that are being created are valuable. That they are a role models to look at. Because very often, some visionary baker running an amazing organic baker example, creating a network with local farmers really seems like an oddity.
Or a curious thing that is happening. Whereas I think if you are part of a European network, you already gain that strength of the table. Actually, this is interesting. This is showing possibilities and paths forwards.
My mind is full of interesting examples. There is, for instance, the booga game also shaft ooga finch go, which is a community cooperative. They are really pioneers with a new enterprise model. Where a local community is part of the co-op.
They do local development in really kind of through consultations. They create businesses where local inhabitants are shareholders. This is pretty amazing. Because then everyone locally has to say on how they run their businesses.
And so, for instance, this co-peritivity in South Ireland, they reopened a community milk and cheese production site. And they make it run. And this allows other young farmers to keep on working in their high up farms in the mountains. They are now working on opening a community hotel to think how tourism can be different.
And this is just one example. And it's full of them. In every value you look, you find these visionary people. And I think it's important to connect them up so they don't feel alone.
I think Zebra can very much act as a kind of beacon of hope and inspiration. And to connect them up and to say, well, that's the way to go. I mean, it might not be the final solution. But at least, you know, it's kind of opening ways to experiment in practice if this is actually feasible.
I think it's very important, like also Serena said, to move from here from text to action. And to really support that. Because only in practice we can see what works and what really is creating the future. Bianca mentioned some really interesting good examples for reshaping economy in the Alps.
Serena, which good examples for reshaping the economy in the Alps and reaching come to your mind when you think about this. What I see are more and more bad in the requests, small hospitality entities, small producers that do things in a very sustainable way. So this is my closest experience with a non-traditional economy in the Alps. Individuals, very small business entities that seem to do the right thing.
And also I rely more and more on public transportation that takes me places without the need to use my car. So this is what I see when I experience the Alps. I don't have a broader overview of economy in the Alps. But at my small personal scale, this is what I see.
And maybe because we are attracted to similar people, this is what I see more and more. These are the places I visit, the areas I explore. And I don't see much of the rest. So I'm very positive that we are on the right way for a new economy in the Alps.
Because I seem to see a lot of enthusiasm for smaller businesses that do the right thing. So I'm not worried. Italy just passed a new law on organic farming. This would have been impossible 10 years ago.
Now we have a lot of really encourages organic farming. So I see several smaller attempts to create an economy that is gentle to the environment and to the Alps. And I think that the change will come from several small attempts then from a big design. TIPA International is an international network of course.
We have national offices in all the outland countries. And how do you imagine the collaboration between TIPA International and the national TIPA for the future, Serena? We already are collaborating with national TIPA. So we are a big family, all members of the family do their part.
I think that more and more we need to do things together. We recently worked together on the aerovinette. It was a good experience. I said many times during this interview that I believe in the importance of policies.
In the future, I would love to see that TIPA contributes to policy debates and to public consultations consolidating the points of view of the national TIPA as well. So that everybody is looking forward to TIPA contribution because they know that it brings the views of different countries and different organizations working for the Alps. And also we already are doing projects together as a family. In the future it would be nice to see even more projects including several national TIPAs so that they are really family projects.
And we have to make sure that they are all supported in their needs. We have to find a way that small national organizations feel empowered to do their work and they're not constrained by possibly limited resources. This is a challenge but one that we have decided to take on. And finally the 1 million euro or Swiss francs question what is your vision for the Alps in the year 2030?
Bianca already mentioned the Alps as school for sustainable development but maybe you have some more ideas on this. So what's your vision for the Alps? It's not so far away. 2030.
I feel like 2030 is so close to the kind of vision that I have. I really want to see massive change and I'm always wondering if 9 years can do it. I really see it as a space where regenerative livelihood practices are being developed and are spreading. Where we really find ways to produce energies in ways that generates more life rather than destroying life.
Then we find ways to provide housing for people in the Alps that is accessible affordable. That you can do the visionary work without being stressed out about how you play your rent. So I really see this kind of visionary space. Also like one of my big like kind of four year vision is really that we completely change the educational system in the Alps.
I think if you grow up as a child in the Alps your school should be the mountains, should be the forest, should be the rivers, the lakes. So that you know the ecosystem, you know the people who live there, you know the land practices and then you become an adult and you become involved in ways that you know that's the same that regenerates, that take care of that space. And I just think as we grow up we become more alienated from the Alps, from how the mountains care for us, how we can care for the mountains. And I think it's you know in my vision it's a big cultural shift that will take place.
And then everything else you know will come with that. The economy will change, education will change. It's a big cultural shift that I see. Yeah, Serena what's your vision for the Alps in the year 2030?
I know it's a big question. I would really like to see the Alpine Convention being implemented. If the Alpine Convention is fully implemented that's our vision, it's right there. We have achieved a division.
I think the Alpine Convention is a wonderful tool although perhaps a bit old in wording but it is a wonderful tool and it is not used to full potential. For example, very few people use the judiciary system to make sure that the Alps are protected and the people in the Alps do sustainable things. And it would be important to make sure that everybody knows about the Alpine Convention, the protocols that they are binding and that the judiciary system uses the Alpine Convention to make decisions. So why not implementing a project for example with lawyers and with judges to make sure that they use the Alpine Convention when they have to support a case or make a decision on a case.
So my vision is for a strong, implemented and enforced Alpine Convention and we have to be behind that because it is also thanks to Sebra if we have an Alpine Convention. It is our core business and I need we have to be alert, we have to be there, we have to participate and not be frustrated if the process at that level may be slower than we wish. We have to be there and persist. Thank you very much.
We heard a lot about your visions for the Alps, Serena Alduino and Bianca Etenbarma, the new core precedence of Sebra International. I'm really looking forward to the next years with you. Thank you both for this interesting conversation. Thank you, Mihan.
Happy here, thanks. A podcast by Sebra. A podcast by Sebra. A podcast by the L'Acikra.
A podcast by the L'Acikra. A podcast by the L'Acikra. A podcast by the L'Acikra.