The Alpine Convention is the first international agreement aimed at the protection and promotion of sustainable development in a transboundary mountain region. It is intended to protect the natural ecosystem of the Alps and to promote sustainable development in the area, whilst fully promoting the economic and cultural interests of the populations residing in the member Countries.

In order to reconcile the protection of the natural ecosystem of the Alps with a proper social and economic development, the Countries of the alpine arc, who met for the first time in Berchtesgaden from October 9th to 11th 1989, have decided to sign the Alpine Convention. The Convention was signed by the Contracting Parties on November 7th 1991 in Salzburg and it entered into force on March 6th 1995. 
The member Countries that have joined the Convention are: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, the Principality of Monaco, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Slovenia, and the European Community.

The Alpine Convention is a Framework Convention and, as such, it just defines the general principles. The details concerning the implementation of the Convention are laid down by the Protocols, which have successively been adopted by the Member States in the following areas:
• Regional planning and sustainable development
• Protection of nature and landscape
• Mountain farming
• Mountain forests
• Soil conservation
• Tourism and recreation
• Energy
• Transport
• Conflict resolution

Further Protocols are envisaged in the future and they will concern the following thematic areas:
• Water management
• Prevention of air pollution
• Waste management

Italy  ratified the Alpine Convention under Law 403, dated October 14th 1999. According to this law, the Ministry of the Environment and Territory is entrusted with the task of implementing the Convention in agreement with the Ministries interested in the respective Protocols, and with the State-Region Conference of the Alpine Arc, a body allowing the necessary co-ordination with the autonomous regional and sub-regional authorities involved in the implementation of the Convention.