In general,
due to the relatively low human impact, the biodiversity of mountainous
regions is less threatened than the species diversity of other regions.
In Switzerland, for example, "only" 6.1% of the mountainous
vascular plant species are estimated to be vulnerable or endangered, while
in the Swiss midlands about 43% of the entire flora is considered to be
vulnerable or even endangered (Landolt 1991). However, particular species
are vulnerable due to their rareness, among them are especially the endemic
species. Attractive species such as alpenrose (Rhododendron sp.),
edelweiss (Leontopodium alpinum), or gentians (Gentiana sp.)
used to be intensely collected by mountaineers. Today these species are
protected by law. Furthermore, the intensification as well as the reduction
of agriculture (reforestation), the construction of facilities for transport
and tourism, and the generation of energy (reservoirs) may menace vascular
plant diversity in the regions affected. It has been shown, for example,
that spraying artificial snow in skiing areas represents a serious threat
to the plant species diversity of low-nutrient and dry grasslands (Kammer
2002).
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