The Alps are the most threatened massif in the world

The European Alps rank first among the most deteriorated and threatened mountains in the world, according to the Department of Biology at the University of Alberta in Canada.

The anarchic development of human activities

Humans have lived in the Alps since the end of the Paleolithic era, that is, for 50,000 to 60,000 years. But the massive degradation of the Alps began in the 1900s, then intensified from 1950. Tourism in mass developed after the Second World War: it was from this time that cities and mountain resorts entered into a competitive perspective, competing for ideas and new attractions to attract more tourists. Today there are around 600 ski resorts spread throughout the Alps, almost half of which are only in Austria.

Urbanization and tourist attraction for the beauty of the alpine reliefs has led to a deterioration in the quality ofair, pollution in rivers and lakes, noise pollution harmful to wildlife, an erosion of the massifs caused by the construction ski slopes and roads, and degradation of forests because of acid rain. Many small mountain villages from the 1900s were transformed in 50 or 70 years into hyper-urbanized, polluted suburbs.

Pollution: a scourge in the Alps

The first symptom of this threat is good air pollution : that of factories, added to that of the heating of these growing suburbs and that of vehicles. Poor air quality which worsens in a way that is harmful to human health, but also to plant and animal health, in the event oftemperature inversions (a phenomenon weather report which stifles the cold air, with the mists and pollution, on the ground in the valleys). Most large cities in the Alps regularly suffer from severe pollution peaks, some of which sometimes last for several consecutive weeks when there is no wind.

According to Public Health France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, nearly 4,300 deaths per year are attributable to long-term exposure to fine particles. The agglomerations of Lyon, Grenoble, Chambéry and Annecy top the ranking of the most polluted areas in the region. In these areas, deaths attributable to fine particles exceed 10% each year.

Biodiversity in decline, in the mountains and in the valleys

This massif, which stretches over 1,200 kilometers, is home to about 30,000 cash animals and 13,000 plant species. Ibex, chamois, Marmot, red deer, wolves, bears, lynx, golden eagle are the most emblematic animals of the Alps. But it’s the birds, bats and the amphibians who are most at risk. At the plant level, everyone knows spruces and pines, but wild meadows also offer a multitude of less impressive species, but just as important, such as geraniums with silvery leaves and the gentian by Burser.

The urbanization of the slopes and the foothills has become widespread in recent years, leading to the loss of most of the biodiversity in areas such as the Rhône, Rhine, Inn and Adige valleys (source: WWF). In addition to urbanization, other practices such as recreation, forestry andAgriculture extensive have aggravated the destruction of flora and fauna. Transport also plays a major role, often cutting off the migration “routes” of certain animals such as large predators, which constitutes an obstacle to the natural movement of these species. One hundred and fifty million people cross the Alps each year, of which only 17% by train.

Of the 150 million people who cross the Alps each year, 120 million are tourists. According to WWF, the largest mountain resorts, located at high altitudes, have a major impact on mountain ecosystems : ” this impacts them all the more seriously as these tourist centers are most often located in the most fragile and remote areas, formerly sheltered from urban sprawl “. Still according to WWF, “ sportswinter constitute the most devastating mode of tourism from an ecological point of view. They caused the artificialization of approximately 3,400 km² of wild landscapes of the alpine arc “.

Another destructive factor, the correction of waterways and hydroelectric dams which harm aquatic environments: migratory routes are cut, reducing the reproduction possibilities of many aquatic animals.

Global warming is happening faster in the Alps

Along with the poles, the mountains are the areas of the planet most affected by climate change. Currently, temperatures are warming twice as fast in the Alps as on a global scale: +1.5 to 2 ° C since 1900, and the latest forecasts estimate that we could reach 5 ° C of warming by this time. the end of the century, or even more! Spring and summer are getting hotter and drier, and the winter snowfall is getting shorter.

In France, Alpine glaciers have lost 26% of their surface area and more than a third of their volume in 40 years. The Northern Alps are the hottest area in France. According to WWF, “ in matter of biodiversity, we observe a general rise in certain species in altitude (65 cm between 1985 and 2005) and in latitude (200 km in about 30 years) “. On some slopes, we observe a greening of the mountains, with vegetation gaining ground on mineral surfaces formerly covered with ice. With certain plant species benefiting from the rise in temperatures, climate change upsets the balance of biodiversity. The high altitude fauna and flora are disappearing more and more, giving way to species that previously lived at lower altitudes.

The actions of various environmental organizations prove that the results can be very positive when “renature” a deteriorated territory: certain species are quickly back. But without major actions to save and restore the alpine reliefs, the pressure current on this fantastic ecosystem risks having irreparable consequences.