In the “Mountain Forest, Bike and Biotope” webinar, to which the Greens MP Hans Urab invited, experts demanded clear rules of the game and clarification.
District - "For some mountains it's five past twelve", stated mountain photographer Bernd Ritschel on the occasion of the third and, for the time being, last webinar on the subject of "Mountain forest, bike and biotope". Hans Urban, forest and hunting policy spokesman for the Greens in the Bavarian state parliament, invited another illustrious panel of experts. Once again it was about ways of equalization and respect in the sensitive Alpine region, which is exposed to undiminished leisure pressure.
“It's a topic that touches me personally,” said the 58-year-old.
Born in Wolfratshausen, at home in Kochel, he has been doing nothing other than being out and about here for 45 years.
"A lot has changed".
Urban named early morning photo tours on the Jochberg as an example.
For decades he was completely alone - today he meets dozens there waiting for sunrise.
There was an approximately 50 centimeter wide path to the neighboring Sonnenspitze, which was used by up to 50 hikers on busy days.
Currently, the path is sometimes ten meters wide because up to 800 people walk it every day.
Webinar by Hans Urban: Alpine landscapes no leeway - the situation should be straightened out
In addition to the pollution of the soil, there is also pressure on the animal world. "I have always loved freedom and avoid prohibitions wherever possible, but there are a few you will not get around in view of the skyrocketing numbers," said the passionate alpinist and pleaded for clear rules of the game. “We have to start doing something now. Commissions alone are not enough. "
Alpine landscapes are not a space, but a natural space, emphasized Friedl Krönauer, spokesman for the Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen Nature Conservation Association, who - even mountain bikers - missed the ethos that once existed among trail riders, not to leave any traces on the forest floor. Not only cyclists are responsible for traces of erosion, but also pedestrians on short cuts beyond the course of the route. It is crucial to sharpen the perception that nature is not just a backdrop for a lifestyle.
Here, the group also saw providers of outdoor platforms in particular as having an obligation.
“Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for people to go out,” explained Markus Hallermann, co-founder of the Komot portal, which is used by twelve million Germans and 19 million worldwide.
The native of Kleinwalsertal claimed that the app should straighten out the situation because it offered the great opportunity to bring people “broadly into nature”, i.e. to show the city dweller alternatives close to his home.
Urban wants to get an idea of the rangers' education for himself
Hallermann's declaration not to include blocked paths in the tour portal, astonished the Green District Councilor and forester Robert Wiechmann: Since forest and natural law generally clearly regulate the paths cyclists are allowed to use, there are no designated bans. In this respect, a corresponding selection could not work.
Volker Audorff, sports ecologist at the Faculty of Cultural Studies at the University of Bayreuth, put the topic on a scientific basis. In view of the rapid pace of development, from his point of view one can no longer rely solely on personal responsibility and respect. Especially since athletes are increasingly lacking the natural filter for dealing with nature. If you had previously learned how to behave outdoors in a social environment from experienced alpinists, this is hardly the case today. The people are quite open-minded.
However, mere bans are not enough, the reasons for this have to be communicated conclusively. The rangers increasingly deployed in the Oberland, who should not punish but raise awareness, have an important role to play in this. Urban wants to go outside over the summer and get an idea of how and whether communication works right in the mountains. There should be a continuation of the webinar format with experts and plenty of room for discussions in winter.
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