TY  - JOUR
A1  - Job, Hubert
A1  - Meyer, Constantin
A1  - Coronado, Oriana
A1  - Koblar, Simon
A1  - Laner, Peter
A1  - Omizzolo, Andrea
A1  - Plassmann, Guido
A1  - Riedler, Walter
A1  - Vesely, Philipp
A1  - Schindelegger, Arthur
T1  - Open spaces in the European Alps — GIS-based analysis and implications for spatial planning from a transnational perspective
JF  - Land
N2  - This article presents an open space concept of areas that are kept permanently free from buildings, technical infrastructure, and soil sealing. In the European Alps, space is scarce because of the topography; conflicts often arise between competing land uses such as permanent settlements and commercial activity. However, the presence of open spaces is important for carbon sequestration and the prevention of natural hazards, especially given climate change. A GIS-based analysis was conducted to identify an alpine-wide inventory of large-scale near-natural areas, or simply stated, open spaces. The method used identified the degree of infrastructure development for natural landscape units. Within the Alpine Convention perimeter, near-natural areas (with a degree of infrastructural development of up to 20%) account for a share of 51.5%. Only 14.5% of those areas are highly protected and are mostly located in high altitudes of over 1500 m or 2000 m above sea level. We advocate that the remaining Alpine open spaces must be preserved through the delimitation of more effective protection mechanisms, and green corridors should be safeguarded through spatial planning. To enhance the ecological connectivity of open spaces, there is the need for tailored spatial and sectoral planning strategies to prevent further landscape fragmentation and to coordinate new forms of land use for renewable energy production.
KW  - Alps
KW  - conservation
KW  - connectivity
KW  - fragmentation
KW  - GIS-analysis
KW  - land use
KW  - open spaces
KW  - protected areas
KW  - sectoral planning
KW  - spatial planning
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-288207
SN  - 2073-445X
VL  - 11
IS  - 9
ER  -