THE ALPS – EUROPE’S CHERISHED BUT ENDANGERED MOUNTAINS

There are places on the face of this Earth that might disappear before we all get a chance to see their beauty. Ironically most of those places will disappear because so many want to see their beauty. At Travel World Passport we will present those places – we hope you enjoy the list of Top Ten Places to See Before They’re Gone. We continue with a bit of a surprise entry of one European treasures – the Alps

The Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe stretching approximately 1,200 kilometres across eight Alpine countries from Austria and Slovenia in the east,Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, France to the west and Italy and Monaco to the south.The mountains were formed over hundreds of millions of years as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blancand the Matterhorn. Mont Blanc spans the French–Italian border, and at 4,810.45 m (15,782 ft) is the highest mountain in the Alps. The Alpine region area contains many peaks higher than 4,000 m (13,123 ft), known as the “four-thousanders”. The highest of them all is Mont Blanc that spans the French–Italian border, and at 4,810.45 m

The Alpine region has a strong cultural identity. The traditional culture of farming, cheesemaking, and woodworking still exists in Alpine villages, although the tourist industry began to grow early in the 20th century and expanded greatly after World War II to become the dominant industry by the end of the century. The Winter Olympic Games have been hosted in the Swiss, French, Italian, Austrian and German Alps. At present the region is home to 14 million people and has 120 million annual visitors.

The tourism industry began in the early 19th century when foreigners visited the Alps, traveled to the bases of the mountains to enjoy the scenery, and stayed at the spa-resorts. During this period winter sports were slowly introduced: in 1882 the first figure skating championship was held in St. Moritz, and downhill skiing became a popular sport with English visitors early in the 20th century, as the first ski-lift was installed in 1908 above Grindelwald. From 1980 to the present, ski-lifts have been modernized and snow-making machines installed at many resorts, leading to concerns regarding the loss of traditional Alpine culture and questions regarding sustainable development as the winter ski industry continues to develop quickly and the number of summer tourists decline.

Alps may seem a fantastic destination for every winter sport fanatic but they also play a crucial role in sustaining the social and economic wellbeing of millions of people living in vast lowland areas. A complex and vulnerable ecosystem, they represent Europe’s central landmark. Report released today by the European Environment Agency concludes that global climate change poses a grave threat to the alpine hydrological system, altering precipitation, snow-cover patterns and glaciers, with further effects downstream.

The EEA report calls on public and private actors at the regional and local levels to better coordinate water and land use and to share water resources more efficiently across sectors. Success factors for implementing adaptation include technological measures (such as improved irrigation techniques or wastewater and greywater re-use), initiatives to manage water demand (such as awareness raising and reducing water use by households) and ensuring full participation and empowerment of regional and local actors. But as we travel to any of the Alpine countries we must remember that it may become more and more difficult to trully enjoy the rare beauty.