Monitoring Network in the Alpine Region for Persistent and Other Organic Pollutants
The natural heritage, particular forests as prevailing alpine ecosystem type, play a crucial role for a sustainable development in the Alps. Important functions are the protection from avalanches and mudflows, the economic dimension of forestry, the drinking water supply, the re-creative features for tourism and the biodiversity aspects. Pollutant input endanger this natural heritage and its functions. Particularly the impact of highly toxic and accumulating organic pollutants (POPs) has been long time underestimated. The Alps seem to be a major sink for such by wind long-range transported and globally distributed POPs. As pilot project, MONARPOP will assess for the first time the load of the Alps with POPs (phase 1) and establish - on basis of the results - conclusions (e.g. a common declaration) and implementation steps to reduce this load (phase 2). Target groups for the dissemination of conclusions, for awareness raising and for implementation steps will be local to national authorities, environmental, industrial and agricultural NGOs and international fora under the UN (UNEP-Convention and UN-ECE Protocol on POPs) and the EU.