Alps under Pressure

The Kalkkögeln

In late August the first tiny patches of ice appear on the little Schlicker See. Autumn begins early up here and warns of the coming winter. Two sharp whistles penetrate the early morning cool. They come from a group of marmots keeping careful watch. The pale towers of the Kalkkögeln (literally, Limestone Hills), rise out of the morning mist that hangs in the gullies. Streams of mountain walkers converge from all directions. Taken separately, the landscape, the animals, the limestone mountains are nothing unusual in the Alps, but nevertheless the Kalkkögeln are really special.

Kalkkögeln in summer
Photo Christina Schwann

Hermann Buhl’s Playground
For Hermann Buhl, who made the first ascent, solo, of Nanga Parbat in 1953, the Kalkkögeln were an early playground. They were stunningly beautiful, with steep, deeply-cut cliff faces and pale scree slopes, characteristic of dolomite, and were situated almost on the doorstep of his Innsbruck home. Their history begins about 250 million years ago (mya) in the Tethys ocean that separated Africa and Europe. The shells of millions of tiny sea creatures laid down a layer several hundred metres thick on the ocean floor. Over the aeons strong pressures and high temperatures transformed this sediment into limestone and dolomite. Between 100mya and 30mya the African tectonic plate began colliding with the European, so pushing the subsurface strata including the limestone northwards and upwards. Nowadays they rest on a base of much older metamorphic rock. The boundary region between the limestone/dolomite and the metamorphic rock is especially botanically diverse.

The Original Mountain Wilderness
This complex geological past has given the valley an unmistakeable imprint and created one of the most varied landscapes in the Alps. In 1983 the Tyrolean government recognised this and declared the Kalkkögeln to be a “Ruhegebiet” - an “Area of Tranquillity” - in order to ‘maintain an undisturbed natural mountain region in the vicinity of Innsbruck’. This protected status was supposed to prevent further developments such as those which had already massively transformed the surrounding area. The value of the designation lies, as the name implies, in the banning of all noise-making activity. So, no traffic noise, no chairlifts, no musical events, no city noise - simply a region of peace.

Animals need Safe Havens
However idyllic this high mountain wilderness appears to us temporary visitors, for its permanent residents it provides a life of extremes. Chamois, who live on the high slopes here, have their breeding season at the end of autumn. Thanks to hunting it often ends in exhaustion and death, while the time available for their young to build up strength to get through the winter is short. Golden eagles, recent immigrants, now nest on the steep crags. Each maintains a territory of about 50km² that they vigorously defend against invaders: they need both sufficient safe havens and adequate prey. Ptarmigan too live on the bleak slopes. They spend the winter in snow-caves, leaving only to seek their food in the twilight. Disturbances then can significantly reduce the prospect of them successfully breeding in the following spring, or even be lethal. The black grouse at the tree line and the rare wood grouse in the forest also have the same need for undisturbed living space.

Kalkkögeln with projected installation
Photo Gerhard Mössner

Human Disturbance
So “Alps under Pressure” really means it's the alpine wildlife that's under pressure. It's not just their challenging living conditions, but the increasing impact of humans, whether as walkers, skiers or mountaineers, or in gliders, paragliders or hang gliders. People use advanced technology to penetrate this inherently hostile environment for their leisure activities and thereby significantly disturb the local fauna. Small numbers make little trouble, but chairlifts and cablecars bringing large groups cause the animals serious problems. For many, moving on isn't possible: most can only live in certain specialised habitats, ruling out relocation as a way to escape disturbances. Some species, for example snowfinches, the highest-dwelling Alpine birds, make good use of high-level restaurants as food sources. Others, however, such as the grouse, rapidly flee from a disturbed area.

A Wilderness close to the City
Hardly any other big city in Europe has such an unspoilt wilderness area close by. Such a wilderness provides valuable ecosystem services, an increasing necessity for cities. These include the absorption of CO₂ and release of oxygen, and the provision of clean drinking water and recreational facilities for over-stressed city dwellers. Only intact animal and plant ecosystems can provide such services. The significance of the region, however, lies not only in such service provision, but also in offering safe living space for wildlife. The species protected here are also acting as a genetic reservoir which may well be needed in the future.

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