14 2 5 3 Alpine Nature 2030 Creating ecological connectivity for generations to come 213 Understanding containing and mitigating the threats to Alpine biodiversity ecological connectivity and the provision of ecosystem services are international imperatives They necessitate a common and cohesive reaction to the emerging threats with the ef cient dis semination of knowledge and methodologies across sectoral and disciplinary boundaries The Alps are most probably the wealthiest mountain range in the world and they offer examples and efforts that can provide a model for other mountain ranges and their surround ing environments Here we delineate a number of fu ture steps that appear indispensable when addressing these threats 5 6 1 Develop an integrated trans sectoral landscape vision for the Alps Alpine landscapes are highly diverse featuring a mul titude of ecosystems and providing habitats for many different species Human settlements infrastructure and activities are increasingly fragmenting Alpine landscapes especially in valleys and at mid altitude This fragmentation is contributing towards a loss of natural habitats and the connections between them resulting in a gradual degradation of ecosystems and a loss of biodiversity and ecological function Since eco logical connectivity is of key importance for ecosystem function which in turn is the basis for human wellbe ing integrated landscape level planning is essential at a national provincial and local government level Planning processes must be based on sound and sys tematic scienti c information concerning ecosystems and species with assessments carried out in every country of the Alpine arch These planning processes must assimilate and integrate the conservation of biodiversity and the protection and enhancement of ecological connectivity as priority concerns Valuing 5 6 Conclusions and recommendations Steps to undertake until 2030 The Alpine Ecological Vision 2030 Chris WALZER Conservation Medicine Unit Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology Department of Integrative Ecology and Evolution University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna Austria Guido PLASSMANN Yann KOHLER Alpine Network of Protected Areas ALPARC Chambéry France Marianne BADURA blue advancing european projects GbR consulting engineering Munich Germany biodiversity connectivity and ecosystem services should be given the same priority as economic growth in regional planning processes Currently while there are numerous individual localised measures no overall guiding and accepted future vision for strategic land scape planning in the Alps exists These authors recommend that policy makers from Alpine Space countries participate in a process of de veloping a common guiding integrated trans sectoral landscape vision for the Alps in 2030 and beyond This vision should be based on existing biodiversity policies and strategies both at the EU level and at a national and provincial level but it must be supplemented with concrete operational action plans that will guide future ground level implementation 5 6 2 Migrate from practices that require compensation for environmental damage to the valuation of and payment for ecosystem services The rich biodiversity and ecological functions of the di verse ecosystems found in the Alps are the basis for the wellbeing of the individuals and populations living in the region and beyond Also termed ecosystem services many of these functions are currently taken for granted or insuf ciently appreciated and valued Marked efforts have been made in the past decades to determine the total economic value of ecosystems including use and non use values The concept of paying for ecosystem services has re cently become a point of discussion in both academic and policy circles At the interface between science and policy the 2012 study on the Economics of Ecosys tems and Biodiversity TEEB provided an impetus for European countries to assess the value of their ecosys tem services Several such assessments are currently

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