Planification stratégique pour la gestion des écosystèmes de rivières alpines

International audienceWithin the framework of the Interreg Alpine Space project "SPARE", project partners from six Alpine countries are working together to advance the harmonization of human use requirements and the protection of Alpine rivers. Five different pilot areas across the Alpine space (Dora Baltea, IT; Drôme, FR; Inn, CH; Soča, SL; Steyr, AT) are committed to integrative river and catchment management, and engaged in participatory processes, to improve existing river management practices and to increase awareness and knowledge about the ecosystem services of healthy rivers. The poster will present preliminary outputs of the three-year project, such as the experiences learnt from the five pilot areas, a pan-Alpine overview of priority rivers with high protection needs and an interactive online platform for knowledge exchange & policy support.Dans le cadre du projet Interreg Alpine Space «SPARE», les partenaires du projet de six pays alpins travaillent ensemble pour faire progresser l'harmonisation des besoins humains avec la protection des écosystèmes aquatiques. Cinq zones pilotes à travers l'espace alpin (Dora Baltea, IT, Drôme, FR, Inn, CH, Soča, SL, Steyr, AT) se sont engagées à gérer leurs rivières et bassins versants de manière intégrative, et à mettre en oeuvre des processus participatifs, à la fois pour améliorer les pratiques de gestion des rivières et pour accroître la sensibilisation et les connaissances sur les services écosystémiques des rivières en bonne santé. Le poster présentera les résultats préliminaires du projet triennal, tels que les expériences acquises dans les cinq zones pilotes, un aperçu pan-alpin des cours d'eau prioritaires ayant des besoins de protection élevés et une plateforme interactive en ligne pour l'échange de connaissances et l'appui aux politique

MONITOR – Hazard Monitoring for Risk Assessment and Risk Communication

Protection against natural disasters is an increasing challenge for society. In many areas the frequent occurrence of natural hazards like e.g. floods, landslides and forest fires has become a constant threat for inhabitants, the habitat itself and its resources. The overall magnitude of damaging events in the last decade clearly shows the need for comprehensive and innovative risk management. It is absolutely necessary to implement controlling mechanisms for the protection of population, land use areas, infrastructure and the natural space in endangered areas.Therefore monitoring tools and appropriate simulation procedures are indispensable. They have to provide necessary information for risk evaluation, successful risk management and communication.These are the main tasks the trans-national INTERREG IIIB Cadses Project is dealing with. The report gives an insight into the particular activities and will present some results of MONITOR

MONITOR: Hazard Monitoring for Risk Assessment and Risk Communication

Monitoring tools and appropriate simulation procedures are indispensable when it comes to providing vital information for risk evaluation, successful risk management and communication. New methods useful for monitoring, like new remote sensing and high resolution laserscan techniques, have been developed in the past. The value of these techniques can be calculated in theory but practical experience is limited. The main goal of the MONITOR (INTERREG IIIB CADSES) project was the improvement of the methodology of risk evaluation and communication by applying these innovative methods. The project partners represent authorities dealing with hazard processes as well as infrastructure and land-use experts. Monitoring methods for the assessment of natural hazards, differentiated by risk quality and risk quantity as well as by differing legislative and organisational environments, were compared and evaluated. The MONITOR project developed transnational, harmonised, best-practise methods for the implementation of monitoring on the basis of criteria of cost, reliability, quality, re- usability as well as applicability

The Increasing Importance of Vermamoeba

Vermamoeba vermiformis are one of the most prevalent free-living amoebae. These amoebae are ubiquitous and also thermotolerant. Of concern, V. vermiformis have been found in hospital water networks. Furthermore, associations between V. vermiformis and pathogenic bacteria have been reported, such as Legionella pneumophila. Moreover, V. vermiformis are well known to host viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms and cases of keratitis due to V. vermiformis in conjunction with other amoebae have been reported. Despite the preceding, the medical importance of V. vermiformis is still an ongoing discussion and its genome has been only recently sequenced. Herein, we present a review of the current understanding of the biology and pathogenesis pertaining to V. vermiformis, as well as its’ role as an etiological agent and trojan horse. An approach known as theranostics which combines both diagnosis and therapy could be utilized to eradicate and diagnose keratitis cases caused by such amoebae. Given the rise in global warming, it is imperative to investigate these rarely studied amoebae and to understand their importance in human health