摘要：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 crossborder cooperation in spatial development and planning is needed
to preserve open spaces throughout the Alpine arc.
