June 15th & 16th, Scuol, Switzerland : Conference Water as a resource & EB meeting

Conference on sustainable and economical management of water resources

Next 15 and 16 June, the second international conference of the 2023 Swiss Presidency of the #EUSALP, will take place in Scuol on the topic of "#Water".

Registration online until 26 May ! Please visit the following page for more information on registration and accommodation https://www.engadin.com/en/accommodations-eusalp-congress

Water as a resource : Water and Energy
Key topics
» Energy as the engine of our economy
» Alpine rivers with significant energy potential (large differences in altitude and a lot of water), battery
» In many places, the construction of power plants has thus contributed to regional development in remote mountain regions
» Nature and landscape conservation interests (also conflict over residual flow)
» Electricity generation accounts for about a quarter of global CO2 emissions
» Volatility of residual load will increase, therefore higher flexibilities necessary
» High importance of hydropower from the Alpine region: the installed capacity of plants in the Alpine region accounts for about 40% of the total hydropower capacity in the EU.

Water and Tourism (Winter and Summer)
Key topics :
» High importance of Alpine rivers; attraction for tourism
» Health and spa tourism (good air, springs)
» High recreational value for residents in the immediate or wider surroundings (day tourism)
» With increasing leisure time (after work, weekends, holidays), demand also increases (thus pressure on the environment)
» Recreational activities on rivers are self-organised activities; visitor management difficult
» The attractiveness of watercourses results from the perception of freedom, the absence of regulations
» Snow guarantee in winter necessary for tourism or water quantity for rafting
» EU Water Directive

Water conservation : Best practices on water protection
Key topics
» Increasing conflicts of protection and use (settlements, infrastructures, expansion of hydropower), especially pressure on biodiversity!
» Alpine rivers provide livelihoods for 80 million people (Rhone, Rhine, Po and Danube), intensive pressure of use
» Watercourses are among the most threatened ecosystem types in the world
» Pressure from natural hazards and dealing with the risk

Political Panel; Final words and joint declaration
Key topics
» Moderated discussion plus questions from the audience
» Focus on the balance between Water use and conservation
» What can the Alpine regions achieve together - through cooperation?
» Policy-making and prospects for the future

For those who cannot be on site in Scuol, the thematic conference on 16 June will be broadcast live.