Protection of the alps? Regulated by the Alpine Convention (ARE)
The Alpine Convention is an international treaty between the eight Alpine countries: Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia, plus the European Union.
During the drafting of the Alpine Convention, the following aspects were taken into account:
- The Alps constitute one of the largest continuous natural areas in Europe, as well as a living environment and an economic, cultural, and recreational space in the heart of Europe. They are distinguished by their unique and diverse nature, culture, and history, and are shared by many peoples and countries.
- They provide a living environment and an economic space for the population residing there, while also being of particular importance to extra-Alpine regions, notably as a corridor for essential transportation routes. In addition, the Alps serve as an indispensable habitat and refuge for numerous endangered animal and plant species.
- There is also a marked heterogeneity in legal frameworks, natural conditions, human settlements, agricultural and forestry activities, levels of economic development, traffic density, as well as the type and intensity of tourism-related use.
- Considering furthermore that the Alpine region and its ecological functions are increasingly threatened by growing human exploitation, and that repairing the resulting damage—when possible at all—can only be achieved through considerable effort, high costs, and generally over long periods of time, it is necessary to harmonize economic interests with ecological requirements.
This dataset shows the perimeter of the Alpine Convention in Switzerland.
Further information: Fedlex-Convention on the protection of the Alps (German)
Link to the map: map.geo.admin.ch