Forest Expansion in the Swiss Alps
A quantitative analysis of bio-physical and socio-economic causes with an emphasis on structural change in agriculture
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Dischmatal near Davos 1927
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Dischmatal near Davos. Forest surface has increased.
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Agricultural land turns into forest (Tujetsch, GR, October 2002).
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Where land can be machined it is not abandoned (Bergell, GR, 2002).
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©S.Vananderoye
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In the last 150 years the forests of Switzerland have increased by approximately
30 - 50%. This process is largely a result of the abandonment of agricultural
land in the mountain regions, which, in turn, is considered a result of
farm closure. Also, agricultural policy, which aims to preserve open land
and to ensure cultivation of marginal lands, relies on this conclusion.
However, based on production and location theory, contemporary concepts
of agricultural economics and empirical indications, we suggest that the
relationships between forest expansion and structural change in agriculture
are more complex. Our research questions are therefore......... What are
the driving forces of forest expansion in the Swiss Alps? Are there patterns
of land abandonment and forest expansion in space and time?
Project Aims
The aim of this research project is to identify, disentangle and quantify the relevant patterns and cause-effect relationships between land abandonment and forest expansion in the Swiss Alps with the help of large quantitative datasets. More specifically, we aim to answer the following questions in order to gain greater understanding in the processes involved:
- How does change in agricultural structure
influence the abandonment of cultivation?
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How do bio-physical factors influence the abandonment of cultivation?
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How do socio-economic factors influence the abandonment of cultivation?
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What are the key environmental variables influencing forest expansion?
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How does historical land-use influence the distribution, composition
and dynamics of establishing forest?
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What patterns in forest expansion can be identified?
Methods
Two complementary methods will be used in order to detect the driving forces
of land abandonment and forest expansion:
- Total Area Approach (TAA)
– This is a broad-scale analysis comprising the use of data sets
covering the whole of the Swiss Alps and Jura e.g. the Areal Statistic,
the National Forest Inventory (LFI), topographic maps and farm census
data.
- Repeated Aerial Photo Analysis of Selected Areas (RAPAS) –
The use of aerial photo sequences, dendrochronology and public surveys/interviews
allows the closer examination of patterns of land abandonment and forest
expansion in at least 4 political communities i.e. Tujetsch (GR),
Soazza (GR), Eggiwil (BE) and
Blitzingen (VS).
Spatial modelling will enable the quantification of the relevant patterns
and cause-effect relationships using the above two database approaches.
Claudia Schreiber provides a link between the WaSAlp project and the
public, writing magazine articles and information sheets as well as communicating
with potential interested parties such as people living in the mountain
communities who actively experience the process of land abandonment and
forest expansion.
Download
Links
Participants
- Dr. Priska Baur
(Project Leader)
- Dr.
Peter Bebi (scientific advisor)
- Dr. Niklaus Zimmermann
(scientific advisor)
- Dr. Ruedi
Boesch (scientific advisor)
- Mario Gellrich–
Dipl.-Forstwirt (PhD student)
- Gillian Rutherford–
MSc (Envir. Sci. 1st class) (PhD student)
- Claudia Schreiber -
Dipl. Ing. ETH (journalistic accompaniment)
- Tiana Moser (Intern)
- Philipp Meier (Intern)
- Wenke Vogeley (Intern)
- Tamara Schoch (Intern)
Contact
| Keywords: |
land-use change, land abandonment, marginal lands, spontaneous forest re-growth, spatial econometrics |
