Save the Mountains: An Appeal by Reinhold Messner to the World

Mass tourism is threatening the once unique and pristine nature of the mountains: More and more parking lots, ski lifts, and roads are shaping the mountain ranges. Reinhold Messner calls for a sustainable and reasonable interaction with the alpine cultural landscape and appeals to each and every one of us to protect the mountains so that we will be able to experience their natural state in the future.

When the romantics discovered the beauty of the mountains, no one could have fathomed that this would be the beginning of alpine mass tourism. Today, entire montane regions have become playgrounds with staged amusement parks and barren slopes. Cyclists, climbers, trekkers, and skiers expect perfect entertainment, alpinists expect an omnipresent mountain rescue service. The grandeur of nature, however, is increasingly trivialized.

Reinhold Messner, who knows the mountains of this world like no other, is an advocate for the maintenance of the cultural landscape and the protection of the mountain’s wilderness. In a trenchant, strongly voiced way he shows that we all share the responsibility for the survival of this ancient landscape. For only if the individual changes their lifestyle can we save the mountains from their demise.