Abstract
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 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 cross-border cooperation in spatial development and planning is needed to preserve open spaces throughout the Alpine arc.
Highlights
Open spaces in the Alps are becoming noticeably scarcer, and the long-term consequences for humans and the environment are often overlooked ( Job 2005; Haßlacher 2006; Mayer et al 2011; Rupf et al 2011; B€atzing 2015a, 2015b; Siegrist et al 2015; Haßlacher et al 2018)
The debate about open spaces refers to related concepts, such as wilderness areas, landscape fragmentation, remote areas, and ecological connectivity
The main instrument for implementing the AP is the zoning of the Bavarian Alps (4393.3 km2, without lakes) as a whole, based on how land is already used, how sensitive the Alpine environment is, and what development might be suitable in the future (StMWI 2019)
Summary
Open spaces in the Alps are becoming noticeably scarcer, and the long-term consequences for humans and the environment are often overlooked ( Job 2005; Haßlacher 2006; Mayer et al 2011; Rupf et al 2011; B€atzing 2015a, 2015b; Siegrist et al 2015; Haßlacher et al 2018) Populations and their associated infrastructure are growing in many valleys. In a recent application of the concept, Moos et al (2019) estimated current and future potential wilderness areas in Switzerland— their approach differed somewhat from the earlier US Wilderness Act definition. They used the following criteria to quantify Swiss wilderness areas (Moos et al 2019: 66ff): 1.
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