Alps

The Majella Massif in Abruzzo, Italy: “The Mother of Mountains”

During the latter half of the 20th century, many mountainous areas throughout the Mediterranean experienced widespread economic and social marginalisation. The Majella Massif, perceived for centuries by local inhabitants as a sacred mountain, has since the advent of the Second World War witnessed a steady decline in the population of its surrounding villages and...

Catholic alpinism and social discipline in 19th- and 20th-century Italy
The symbolic appropriation of mountains may be a universal phenomenon, yet it can also be highly specific to one religion or confession, located in one region and historical context. An interesting case in point is “Catholic Alpinism” in the Italian Alps. This popular movement began around the mid-19th century, when some curates, based in upland communities, some educators and...
The sacralization of mountains in Europe during the modern age
In the debate about sacred mountains, authors often voice the opinion that sacredness is endangered by, or even lost under the influence of, modern economic and social development. But how legitimate is it to generalise this assumption or assessment? The present article shows that, in the case of Europe, history has proceeded in the opposite direction: here, one can observe clear indications...
Is “culture” still relevant to regional policy? Conclusions from DIAMONT, a European Union Research Project
The Alps, in the heart of Europe, are obviously an asset, but they also pose a serious challenge: some Alpine regions lag quite far behind economically, mainly because of the disadvantages of location. At the same time, their fragile ecological and cultural systems suffer from the unbalanced economic exploitation inherent in the “open access” policy formulated by the European...
Agricultural decline, landscape change, and outmigration: Debating the sustainability of three scenarios for a Swiss mountain region
As in many other mountain areas, peripheral regions of the Swiss Alps are experiencing outmigration, especially of younger people, due to lack of opportunities. Winter tourism, often the backbone of regional economies, is declining in many small- and medium-sized resorts. At the same time, agricultural decline is leading to land abandonment and natural reforestation, which may have...
Natural hazards and tourism: New findings on the European Alps

The tourist industry in the European Alps has always been greatly threatened by natural disasters. As far as tourism is concerned, the so-called “indirect” effects of these disasters have proven to be more important than the direct damages. The former consist mainly of loss of earnings, which can result for example from the closure of access roads or the decommissioning of cable...

Expert panel-based assessment of forest landscapes for land use planning

Forest landscapes are often not adequately taken into account by land use planning, leading to loss of biodiversity and reduction in ecosystem services and functions. One of the reasons relates to the data provided to planners, which tend to be limited to a description of the characteristics of forests — eg presence of a given vegetation type — rather than an...

Transient thermal effects in Alpine permafrost
In high mountain areas, permafrost is important because it influences the occurrence of natural hazards, because it has to be considered in construction practices, and because it is sensitive to climate change. The assessment of its distribution and evolution is challenging because of highly variable conditions at and below the surface, steep topography and varying climatic...
The Continuum Project: Establishing ecological networks throughout the European Alps
The Alps are one of the largest natural regions left in Europe and therefore of particular importance for biodiversity; but they are also home to 14 million people and one of the most visited areas in the world. This is not without impact on biodiversity. Habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, changes in agricultural practices, and pollution are among the most...
Valuing ecosystem services for sustainable landscape planning in Alpine regions
Alpine regions provide diverse ecosystem goods and services (ES) to human society. Yet as many of these ES are not bought or sold, their value must be estimated using a surrogate for observable behaviour witnessed in the marketplace. The present article reviews ES valuation studies conducted in the European Alps. In addition, the authors present the results of a case study...

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