Work packages:

Aurelia Ullrich
Im Bretscha 22, Postfach 142 FL-9494 Schaan
Phone: +423 237 53 08
E-mail: aurelia.ullrich@cipra.org

Chris Walzer
Savoyenstrasse 1, A-1160 Vienna, Austria
Phone: + 4314890915180
E-mail: Chris.Walzer@vu-wien.ac.at

WP3 provides a communication strategy which aims at the dissemination of the project (and its EU programme background), its objectives and results to a wider public by means of a cross-media approach.
ECONNECT represents an opportunity to raise decision-makers' awareness about the importance of bio-corridors as an effective way to preserve biodiversity and to initiate a new development model for the Alps. In order to put pressure on decision-makers and make them consider bio corridors as an important issue in their development strategies, it is essential to raise public and other stakeholders' awareness.
Dissemination of project findings to all interested actors is ensured by a project website and regular information (newsletters, brochure, conferences, mailings etc.).
Internal communication is also an important task of this WP: since project partners are spread over a vast transnational area and are involved in many different activities, it is essential to assure an effective flow of information and communication between them.

Riccardo Nigro
via Orseolo 12, 20144 Milano - Italy
Phone: +39 02 831 332 16
E-mail: r.nigro@wwfrp.it

Work Package 4 aims to set up and manage a systematic GIS platform to carry out alpine-wide analysis of ecological networks. WP4's tasks include the collection of existing spatial data sets provided by the pilot areas. A main part of the work will subsequently be to adapt, integrate and harmonise the existing data bases for use in WP5 and in the pilot regions. In preparation for this, data harmonisation methods developed in other EU and national projects will be evaluated and documented. This assessment will be the basis for devising a harmonisation process that is suitable for ECONNECT. WP4 furthermore provides support to the pilot regions in using the geographic information for analysing and mapping tasks in GIS desktop applications. To ensure comparability the results from the different pilot regions will be synthesised. For data access and information a web-based geodata and metadata catalogue will be set up.

Kathrin Renner
Viale Druso/Drususallee 1 39100 Bolzano/Bozen - Italy
Phone: +39 0471 055 323
E-mail: kathrin.renner@eurac.edu

The objective of the Work-Package is the identification of ecological anthropogenic barriers preventing natural ranges of different species in the Alpine space. Based on an overview of the needs of selected organisms an assessment of existing connectivity-gaps between their habitats will be undertaken. The identified barriers will be classified and concrete measures should be developed to reduce barriers to the migration of species and the exchange of gene fluxes. These proposed measures should be tested and implemented in the Pilot Areas (WP7):
Five steps to meet these targets are defined:

1. Selection of a representative sample of species classified by migration needs, ecosystem requirements and zoological classes (mammals, birds, fish).
2. Analysis of species habitat needs in terms of habitat connectivity (e. g. maximum distances, characteristics of corridors/stepping stones).
3. Spatial analysis of current and potential habitats, their lack of connectivity and its reasons (qualitative and quantitative assessment).
4. Characterisation of the barriers by their origin, size, shape and degree of permeability and (economic) assessment of possibilities to diminish them.
5. Development of measures and management practises to surmount barriers and measurement classification by practicability and feasibility.

Katrin Sedy
Spittelauer Lande 5, 1090 Wien, Austria
Phone: +43 1 31304 3515
E-mail: katrin.sedy@umweltbundesamt.at

By increasing the comparability of the legal statutes of the Alpine protected areas and proposing models of optimal statute for transboundary protected areas the collaboration potential among protected areas is enhanced, thus also improving the migration possibilities and conservation efforts for wildlife. Identifying the legal barriers concerning protected areas and their surroundings which may be hindering the creation of ecological networks enables the formulation of adequate solutions.
This component of the project contributes to the completion of a broad overview of all different barriers, physical and legal, hindering the smooth movement of wildlife on the ground. It is also of particular importance for concrete planning processes, for the realization of concrete links and measures, as well as for data management purposes.
Practical documentation giving a broad overview on legal barriers that can hinder the creation of ecological networks, with particular attention to the pilot areas and transboundary aspects will be delivered. Two workshops gathering relevant expert knowledge as an input for the documentation and a final conference synthesizing the findings of this component of the project, as well as of the implementation phase in the pilot areas, will be organized.
By the end of the project, the documentation will be published and widely disseminated, and the contents of the final conference will be shared with concerned actors throughout the Alps.

Paolo Angelini
Phone: +39 06 572 281 54
E-mail: angelini.paolo@minambiente.it

The work package "Implementation" provides a very detailed planning process in the different Pilot regions (7). This process of planning includes detailed habitat mapping, landscape modelling and the identification of the potential of connectivity to link important habitats and to insure migration corridors for special species. It aims at the realisation of a continuum of habitats ("ecological continuum") and to reduce fragmentation of areas especially where a high degree of conflicts as regards territory use, can be presumed. At the same time the planning process will be a key element for further physical planning of the territory to make sure that spaces not yet fragmented and important for migration of species and special habitats will be maintained.
This process includes a very strong communication and awareness raising strategy within the pilot regions and an involvement of the stakeholders in charge of different topics linked to the questions of connectivity, biodiversity and local development. The planning process will lead to first implementations as for example one concrete spatial link and at least three measures in favour of the establishment of the ecological network. The WP 4, 5 and 7 will work closely together to achieve the realisation of the general goal of the project.

Guido Plassmann
256, Rue de la République F - 73000 Chambéry
Phone: 0033(0)4 79 26 55 00
E-mail: info@alparc.org

The contribution of WP 8 to ECONNECT's main objectives is to prepare results for a common understanding of the project and to transfer knowledge to other mountain regions. Knowledge-transfer activities are targeted to reach key actors at all levels, based on level of responsibility (stakeholders, managers, NGOs, GOs, scientists) and the spatial dimension (local, Alps, European). For an optimal coverage and to guarantee the sustainability of ECONNECT results, implementation guidelines and project syntheses will be distributed to key actors at the local, Alp-wide and European level. A specific emphasis at an advanced project state will be paid to transfer knowledge to other mountain regions.
Objectives, methodologies, activities and achievements of work packages will be synthesized, elaborated into a project synopsis, edited and widely distributed. The WP operates as an integrative platform where workshops and outreach publications focus on the transfer of knowledge to WP3 for communication, national key actors in the pilot regions and at the transnational level.
At a specific workshop for knowledge transfer, key actors from the Alps and other mountain areas (esp. Carpathians and Pyrenees) will be invited for the elaboration of implementation guidelines and policy recommendations. These results will be "packed" into a toolbox that will be made available to administrative bodies of the ECONNECT pilot regions as well as at a wider local/regional, national and European level.
A specific aim will also be to generate together with other work packages popular science information. General and scientific results and policy recommendations will be presented in the form of scientific publications, oral and poster presentations at external conferences (Alpine and Carpathian Space).
The first workshop will be held on November 4-6th 2009 in Grenoble/F and will be organised by Cemagref and the University of Innsbruck.

Leopold Fureder
University of Innsbruck Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Phone: ++43 512 507 6125
E-mail: leopold.fuereder@uibk.ac.at

Econnect partners developed a internet-based GIS-analysis tool called "Joint ecological continuum analysis and mapping initiative (JECAMI). This tool is divided in 4 parts:

• The CSI (Continuum Suitability Index)
• The SMA (Species map application)
• The PAM (Priority area maps)
• The CARL (Connectivity analysis of riverine landscapes)

The tool is available at: http://gis.nationalpark.ch/arcgisserver_app/secure/econ_jecami.htm