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Rewilding the Alps – Collaborative Map for Unspoiled Alpine Landscapes

Project SummaryThe project "Rewilding the Alps – Collaborative Map for Unspoiled Alpine Landscapes" creates a digital platform where mountain enthusiasts can report abandoned and deteriorating structures in the Swiss Alps. The goal is to raise awareness of the issue, promote dismantling actions, and advocate for political solutions.
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Background

Unspoiled landscapes in the Alps are becoming increasingly rare. Yet, abandoned and deteriorating ski facilities, fences, huts, and similar structures are still a common sight in the Swiss mountains. Across Switzerland, there are over 55 unused ski lifts and cable cars left to decay indefinitely. By dismantling these structures, we can create new spaces free of or minimally impacted by human activity. These abandoned constructions not only mar the natural landscape but also pose a significant risk of injury to wildlife.
Currently, there is often a lack of incentives or pressure to remove these structures. For municipalities and operators, dismantling is often associated with high costs, leading to these remnants being left behind.
Mountain Wilderness Switzerland aims to address this issue by advocating for the removal of these structures and organizing dismantling actions with volunteers to set positive examples. Additionally, we call on policymakers to tackle the problem structurally and enact effective legal measures.
However, Switzerland still lacks a comprehensive overview of where these obsolete structures and facilities are located.
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Idea

















We are now addressing this issue with a proven solution: Mountain Wilderness France launched a collaborative map several years ago, enabling mountain enthusiasts to report abandoned structures and facilities. This initiative has gained significant attention within the mountain sports community in France and has helped bring the issue of dismantling obsolete structures into public discourse. Building on this success, we now aim to take the next logical step by expanding this model to Switzerland.

Our community and other dedicated mountain enthusiasts will be able to document abandoned structures they encounter in the Swiss Alps. This will not only highlight the scale of the problem but also emphasize the urgent need for structural solutions at the political level. Moreover, the map will serve as a foundation for organizing concrete dismantling actions, which we will carry out with volunteers on-site.






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Implementation

To achieve this, the existing French website needs to be adapted for Switzerland. Collaborating with the web designers who developed the platform for Mountain Wilderness France, we will redesign the website to enable Swiss users to report their sightings. This requires modifying the site’s structure, creating two separate databases, and ensuring the platform is bilingual.
With a fundraising goal of CHF 10,500, we can develop the collaborative map for Switzerland.
Help us take this next sustainable step forward!
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Initiators





Mountain Wilderness Switzerland is a non-profit alpine conservation organization based in Bern. For 30 years, the association has been dedicated to protecting pristine mountain nature, preserving untouched and wild alpine landscapes, and promoting environmentally sustainable mountain sports.





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Alexandra Christine Holzer 250,00 CHF
Schello 50,00 CHF
Jaun Adrian 40,00 CHF
Daniel Manser 60,00 CHF
Thomas Schenk 100,00 CHF
Jonas Ammann 20,00 CHF
Anonymous 1'000,00 CHF
Anonymous 100,00 CHF
Event "Empower Nature" 300,00 CHF
Vermittelt durch Swisscom 175,00 CHF
Ursula Schrumpf 505,00 CHF
Currently, there are still no project partners if you are interested, please contact us via info@there-for-you.com.

Primary Partners