About the book

The Alps as seen by birds are:

• different Alps
• a gift from the eternal creation of the world
• a realm of wondrous beauties that have no price but have infinite value
• a realm without borders and inaccessible to most people
• a mysterious gallery of the perfection of unique natural and cultural phenomena
• alongside the Mediterranean, Europe's largest ecosystem
• a strategic European treasury of drinking water
• with its shrinking glaciers, an indicator and relic of eternal change in nature
• home and living space to 13 million inhabitants speaking various languages
• holiday and excursion destination for a hundred million visitors
• mysterious landscape of sacred mountains and sacred places of our distant ancestors
• window into a special culture of survival at least five thousand years old
• symbol of common cultural identity in the interweaving of prehistoric, aboriginal, Germanic, Romance and Slavonic roots

The Alps as seen by birds are not:

• divided up between eight countries, Austria, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Germany, Slovenia and Switzerland
• the property of no one, yet at the same time the property and asset of all
• capital on the market for speculators trading and selling something they never created
• a kitsch cliché from tourist brochures

Introduction

The Alps are a single geographical and geological entity, yet they also constitute a culturally, biologically and climatically very diverse region. Besides the Mediterranean region, the Alps are the second largest ecosystem in Europe. Even in the distant past this mountain range posed a natural barrier to migration flows, and at the same time provided refuge and a rich setting for habitation. Different relative elevations of the terrain offer varied conditions for a wide range of plant and animal life. The mild influences of the Mediterranean gulfs of Trieste and Liguria further inland give way to the harsh Alpine climate, with substantial temperature deviations and notable icing conditions.

The Alps, due to layout, size and geomorphology, are a distinct geological formation in Europe with prevailing influences in the Mediterranean and Central Europe. The mountains pose a natural barrier that in the past, as well as now, influence flows of capital and human resources. The Alps also play a crucial role as a weather generator in the whole of Europe.

The Alpine region today is home to 8 million people who speak eight major languages with many dialects and who are divided into eight nations.

Nations: France, Italy, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Slovenia, Germany and Monaco.

Languages spoken: German, Slovene, French, Italian, Friulian, Ladin, Occitan and Rhaeto-Romance.

Book contains 200 double spread photographt, text is written by 19 expert.

Photographer

• Matevž Lenarčič

Author

• Janez Bizjak (SLO)

Introduction

• Sir Christian Bonington (GB)
• Koïchiro Matsuura ( J )
• Marco Onida ( I )

Co-authors

• Dr Boštjan Anko (SLO)
• Dr Lučka Kajfež Bogataj (SLO)
• Dr Werner Bätzing (D)
• Dr Anton Brancelj (SLO)
• Dr Mario Broggi (CH)
• Herve Cortot (F)
• Dr Bernard Debarbieux (CH)
• Dr Roland Dellagiacoma (I)
• Dr Hans Haid (A)
• Dr Uroš Herlec (SLO)
• Dr Boris Kryštufek (SLO)
• Ferdinand Leiner (A)
• Dr Guido Plassmann (F)
• Dr Tone Wraber (SLO)
• Dr Michael Zemp (CH)

Editorial board

• Vojko Strahovnik / Editor in Chief
• Janez Bizjak / Member
• Marko Lenarčič / Member
• Matevž Lenarčič / Member

Expert Council

• Janez Bizjak (SLO)
• Dr Mario Broggi (CH)
• Dr Hans Haid (A)
• Matevž Lenarčič (SLO)
• Dr Guido Plassmann (F)
• Dr Michael Vogel (D)

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

• Koïchiro Matsuura

FOREWORD

• Sir Christian Bonington

FOREWORD

• Marco Onida

THE ALPS, AS THE BIRDS SEE THEM

• Janez Bizjak

THE BEARDED VULTURE IN THE ALPS

• Ferdinand Lainer

THE MYTH ABOUT AVALANCHES

• Hans Haid

ENCLOSURES IN THE CHAMPSAUR MASSIF

• Hervé Cortot

LANDSCAPES OF WINE ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE ALPS

• Roland Dellagiacoma

THE SOUTHERN ALPS
THE WESTERN ALPS
THE CENTRAL ALPS
THE EASTERN ALPS
MAP OF THE ALPS
THE GEOLOGY OF THE ALPS

• Uroš Herlec

GLACIER CHANGES IN THE ALPS

• Michael Zemp

THE CLIMATE OF THE ALPS AND EXPECTED CHANGES

• Lučka Kajfež Bogataj

ALPINE WATERS

• Anton Brancelj

ALPINE FORESTS

• Boštjan Anko

ALPINE FLORA

• Tone Wraber

ALPINE FAUNA

• Boris Kryštufek

ALPINE PROTECTED AREAS

• Guido Plassmann

THE LANDSCAPE OF THE ALPS

• Werner Bätzing

THE ALPINE POPULATION

• Bernard Debarbieux

ATTITUDE AND RESPONSIBILITY IN ALPINE TOURISM -
WHERE ARE WE GOING?

• Mario F. Broggi

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
AUTHORS OF THE TEXTS