„How to combine sustainable development
and building ski resorts? The example of the Alpine Convention and
implementation of its “Tourism” protocol”
Noël LEBEL, past Secretary general of the Alpine Convention
www.alpenkonvention.info
The conflicts between tourist resorts builders and
environment protectors are becoming more an more sharp as the areas opened to
development become more scarce and as the temptation correlatively increases to
overlap on ecological and landscaped sensitive regions.
If, in the first times of the equipment of the mountains regions, the balance
between building and protection was largely left up to the decision of national
and local authorities, the situation has much evolved since the citizens are
more sensitive to the protection of their natural surroundings and life setting:
that’s why, little by little, new legal constraints were enacted and increased
the calls for implementation of good- practices rules.
In the Alps, the greatest natural space in Europe and the
first world tourist destination, it appeared that the effectiveness of the
national and local policies was now inadequate: it became necessary to consider
issues in sustainable development in a common and coordinated cause at a global
alpine scale. This concern was firmed up with an international agreement - the
Alpine Convention or International Convention for the protection of the Alps-
signed and ratified by the eight alpine countries and the European Union.
This agreement as well as its implementation protocols, defines the political
frameworks for a sustainable development of the Alps, particularly in the field
of tourism, which is the subject of a one of those protocols: it lays down
principles in development and management of tourism areas – and in particular
ski resorts- and specifies a good many obligations and forbidding.
But, beyond these strictly restrictive points of view, the protocol encourages,
through appropriate measures, a better taking in account of environment for
developing and managing ski resorts. We will illustrate this dynamic look for
implementation of the protocol tourism with two particular instances, both
dealing with its article 14- Specific technologies of ski resorts planning.
The first one concerns the environmental audit of ski resorts in pursuance of
its §1 “ski tracks”, and the second one, in pursuance of its §2 “snow
cover installations”, the use of additives to improve the efficiency of
production and preservation of artificial snow.
These two examples show how, from potentially situation of conflict, the
cooperation, the scientific approach and the transparent exchange of information
allow to reduce opposite positions and to commit a positive dialogue respectful
of everybody positions.