Abstract
In the Alpine environment for centuries man has always been directly dependent on mountain ecosystems. Local communities have created specific conditions capable of assuring the persistence of ecosystems and their capacity to provide essential goods and services.
However, in recent decades, dramatic changes have occurred, such as changes in lifestyles, in land use, in the climate, etc. In these territories, rich in natural and cultural values, but at the same time particularly vulnerable, new needs and new order of values priorities arise.
The Alps are the scene of continuous interactions between different human activities and ecological processes, which may turn into concrete conflicts. In the framework of Interreg Alpine Space ALPBIONET2030 project, authors tried to identify local and transnational human-nature conflicts throughout the Alps, which could have an impact on the ecological network and on wildlife behavior.
Authors conducted interviews and workshops with local stakeholders in order to collect objective and subjective data on the most urgent conflicts in five selected regions, from France to Slovenia, and to gain information about the social knowledge and related perception.
Carefully consider different values, explore conflicts from different points of view, look for solutions capable to satisfy many interests, brainstorm multiple options, open up dialogue among stakeholders and favor cooperative dynamics is the key used to work towards shared strategies that can, at the same time, prevent conflicts and transform them into opportunities.