The district would like to reach for the title of Unesco World Heritage Site.
But in the capital Garmisch-Partenkirchen there is a rumble.
Property owners fear nature conservation requirements and restrictions - a concern that the district office considers unfounded.
A special meeting of the local council is to enlighten and calm the minds.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
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Garmisch-Partenkirchen's
approval of the district's application for the Unesco World Heritage Site title seemed to be a “gmahde Wiesn” - a sure thing.
More than a year ago, the municipal council approved the associated goals.
Just two weeks ago, the building and environmental committee gave the green light.
There were also positive signals from agriculture.
With the well-known seal, so the tenor, one could protect the smallholder structures in the region and increase the chances of government subsidies.
Property owners have their say
But the mood is apparently not that unanimous.
This could be observed on Thursday shortly before the beginning of the municipal council meeting in which the topic was to be dealt with.
Owners of the meadows and areas that are intended for the world cultural heritage area discussed exhaustively with Mayor Elisabeth Koch (CSU) in front of the congress house.
The town hall chief then announced in the Werdenfels festival hall that the point would be postponed.
This was decided by the council of elders.
A special session is to be held on April 1st.
In addition to Peter Strohwasser, the head of the Lower Nature Conservation Authority, two spokesmen for those affected should have their say.
Many landowners, but also members of the municipal council, felt that they were not sufficiently informed, Koch justified this step.
This is also confirmed by CSU spokesman Anton Witting.
“You haven't heard much about the subject,” he explains when asked by the daily newspaper.
"There are certain fears that you have to dispel."
Georg Porer becomes concrete.
The Wallgau part-time farmer is one of the owners.
“We weren't asked,” he says, annoyed about the procedure.
Basically there is nothing to be said against the Unesco project, he clarifies.
But everyone should be free to choose whether their meadows should be part of the application area - including large parts of the green belt around Garmisch-Partenkirchen - or not.
“If you want to get out, you should come out,” demands Porer.
He and his colleagues fear that strict nature conservation requirements will be imposed, compliance with which is meticulously monitored.
It shouldn't be, says Porer, that all of a sudden you are restricted in the care and, for example, you are no longer allowed to mow a rare plant species.
“We don't need more bureaucracy,” says the native of Partenkirchen.
But usage issues also play a role in the debate.
In his view, there is a risk, Porer continues, that the label of the international organization will curtail or completely prevent development opportunities.
He will definitely take advantage of the offer to convey these points of view in a special meeting of local politics.
Green Councilor Dr.
Rainer Steinbrecher, however, cannot understand Porer's position in the cause.
“The fears are completely unfounded.
Nothing is slipped over there, ”he emphasizes.
The district office had already informed the landowners of this.
For the climate, environment and mobility officer of the municipality, one thing is certain: the Unesco label only brings advantages.
Steinbrecher expects, among other things, impulses for sustainable tourism.
Preserve grassland farming
The statement from the district authority sounds similar.
The title of world cultural heritage does not create a new or stricter protection status, explains spokesman Wolfgang Rotzsche.
The current legal situation remains unchanged.
Rather, it is about maintaining the existing "grassland management system" - primarily through active agriculture.
This includes all usable areas such as the alpine pastures and mountain meadows, but also the farm meadows in the valley, the moss meadows and the home pastures.
A free choice of whether or not to include one's own parcel in the area would be desirable, but not possible, says Rotzsche.
Because: "You need a coherent overall concept and no sprawl."
The application process is currently in the final stages: the district committees meet in May, and the documents are to be forwarded to the state government in the summer.
There is no lack of transparency, emphasizes Rotzsche - and refers, for example, to the district's homepage (www-lra-gap.de), where a lot of information can be found.
Most recently, animal rights activists criticized the application because it lists the temporary tethering of cattle as part of the cultural heritage.