Since more than 10 years the SLF has studied impacts of ski tourism on the environment and especially on plants and vegetation. Our research focuses on
- vegetation on graded ski pistes
- the relationship between vegetation/biodiversity and soil erosion/soil stability
- impacts of man-made snow on vegetation
- winter tourism and climate change: resource use and snow reliability
- development of a new technique for snowmaking with much improved energy and water efficiency
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| "Nessy": new system for snowmaking. |
Publications 2011
Impacts of technical snow and machine-grading on ski pistes on alpine vegetation and soil
Researchers of the group „mountain ecosystems“ investigated how machine-grading and snowmaking influence vegetation and soil in the long term. They repeated an 8-year-old survey of vegetation and soil on and next to ski pistes. The data analysis most of all showed the rather dramatic impacts of the machine-grading. Plant cover and productivity had decreased on graded pistes during 8 years, which indicates an insufficient re-colonisation by plants. Consequently, the construction of new pistes by machine-grading in alpine habitats should be avoided, and existing pistes should be managed to avert further disturbances. Where grading is unavoidable, re-vegetation measures should be applied according to newest standards, e.g. by means of site-specific seed mixtures.
Snowmaking had little impacts on the vegetation cover, productivity or plant diversity. However, our results suggest that it may change moisture status of the vegetation, and thus caution is warranted when used in dry and nutrient-poor habitats.
Philippe Roux-Fouillet, Sonja Wipf und Christian Rixen (2011): Long-term impacts of ski piste management on alpine vegetation and soils. Journal of Applied Ecology.
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Ski piste with technical snow in spring. |
Further publications
Christian Rixen, Michaela Teich, Corina Lardelli, David Gallati, Mandy Pohl, Marco Pütz und Peter Bebi (2011): Winter Tourism and Climate Change in the Alps: An Assessment of Resource Consumption, Snow Reliability, and Future Snowmaking Potential. Mountain Research and Development.
Mandy Pohl, Raphael Stroude, Alexandre Buttler und Christian Rixen (2011): Functional traits and root morphology of alpine plants. Annals of Botany.
More SLF projects about „ski tourism and environment“
- Artifical snow and environment Project duration 1999 to 2001.
- Biodiversity and soil stability. Project duration 2008 to 2011.
- Climate change and winter tourism. Project duration 2005 to 2007.
- Development of a new technique for snowmaking with much improved energy and water efficiency.
Other links
High-altitude restoration. Activities of the ecological engineering group.