Project life
An Italian forum for Sentinel Shelters
© Coll. Refuges Sentinelles
In its May 30, 2022 edition, the Italian daily Corriere della Sera devoted a full page to the Refuges Sentinelles project in an interview with Raffaella Balzarini, one of the researchers involved in the project and in charge of international cooperation at Labex ITTEM.
” Alpine refuges are sentinels of the climate and of high-altitude tourism “, explains the article in its preamble, referring to the definitive closure of the Pilatte refuge in the Ecrins massif due to the melting of the glacier and the risk of collapse, and the anticipated closure of the Italian Quintino Sella refuge at the foot of the Viso mountain due to lack of water.
The issue of water is now a central concern for Alpine refuges, which are trying to become more virtuous in terms of resource management. It is against this backdrop that this article looks at the Refuges Sentinelles research program conducted within Labex ITTEM, and the collaborations underway with Italian researchers. ” This summer, an initial experimental campaign will begin, using a common protocol to compare Italian refuges with French refuges that are more “rustic” in terms of environmental management,” explains Raffaella Balzarini. A survey will be deployed in Piedmont and Valdot refuges on the Italian side, and in the Mont-Blanc and Ecrins massifs on the French side.
On June1, 2022, as part of the Business Economics Forum organized by the University of Turin, Raffaella Balzarini will be presenting the research findings of the Refuges sentinelles project, in a session devoted to alpine refuges. Alongside Philippe Bourdeau (Université Grenoble Alpes) – coordinator of the project – she will be joined by Riccardo Beltramo and Stefano Duglio (University of Turin), Emily Cardoso (Syndicat national des gardiens de refuge et gîtes d’étape) and Mara Rizzo (Refuge Bonatti).
In 2002, the International Year of Mountains, the two Turin-based academics Riccardo Beltramo and Stefano Duglio published a methodological guide to help develop better environmental management of Alpine refuges. Ten years later, in 2022 – the International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development – the Forum will highlight achievements in this field and discuss current trends. It will also address future international projects, notably in collaboration with French researchers from the Refuges sentinelles scheme, which sees the refuge as a laboratory for observing changes in the high mountains.
Go to the event website to stream the session. The session will take place on June 1, 2022, from 10.30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The article published on May 30, 2022 in Le Corriere della Sera :
