Open Spaces in Alpine Countries: Analytical Concepts and Preservation Strategies in Spatial Planning

Please always quote using this URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-259338
  • Open spaces in the Alps are becoming noticeably scarcer, and the long-term consequences for humans and the environment are often overlooked. Open spaces preserve ecosystem services but are under pressure in many Alpine valleys due to demographic and economic development as well as corresponding technical and tourism infrastructure. This article conceptualizes and measures open spaces in Alpine environments. In addition to analyzing existing spatial planning instruments and the open spaces resulting from 2 of them-the Bavarian Alpenplan inOpen spaces in the Alps are becoming noticeably scarcer, and the long-term consequences for humans and the environment are often overlooked. Open spaces preserve ecosystem services but are under pressure in many Alpine valleys due to demographic and economic development as well as corresponding technical and tourism infrastructure. This article conceptualizes and measures open spaces in Alpine environments. In addition to analyzing existing spatial planning instruments and the open spaces resulting from 2 of them-the Bavarian Alpenplan in Germany and the Tyrolean Ruhegebiete in Austria-we identify open spaces in Switzerland using a geographic information system. More generally, we discuss how spatial planning deals with open spaces. Results show that both the Alpenplan and the Ruhegebiete have contributed significantly to the protection of open spaces in the Bavarian and Tyrolean Alps since the 1970s. Indeed, both approaches prevented several development projects. In the Swiss Alps, open spaces cover 41.9% of the Alpine Convention area. A share of 40.3% vegetation-free open spaces shows that they are concentrated in high alpine areas. Of the open spaces identified, 64.6% are covered by protected areas. Hence, about one third of the open spaces still existing in the Swiss Alps need preservation, not only for ecological connectivity reasons but also to preserve them for generations to come. We conclude that different sectoral approaches for the conservation of open spaces for people and natural heritage in the Alps and other high mountain ranges should be better coordinated. In addition, much more intensive crossborder cooperation in spatial development and planning is needed to preserve open spaces throughout the Alpine arc.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author: Hubert Job, Gero Willi, Marius Mayer, Marco Pütz
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-259338
Document Type:Journal article
Faculties:Philosophische Fakultät (Histor., philolog., Kultur- und geograph. Wissensch.) / Institut für Geographie und Geologie
Language:English
Parent Title (English):Mountain Research and Development
Year of Completion:2020
Volume:40
Issue:3
Pagenumber:D1-D11
Source:Mountain Research and Development (2020) 40:3, D1-D11 . https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-20-00016.1
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-20-00016.1
Dewey Decimal Classification:9 Geschichte und Geografie / 91 Geografie, Reisen / 914 Geografie Europas und Reisen in Europa
Tag:Alps; ecological connectivity; open spaces; sectoral planning; spatial planning; sustainable development; cross-border coordination
Release Date:2022/03/26
Collections:Open-Access-Publikationsfonds / Förderzeitraum 2021
Licence (German):License LogoCC BY: Creative-Commons-Lizenz: Namensnennung 4.0 International