Abstract
The socio-economic frame-conditions of land-use change in the Alps are diverse, as is the adaptation of agriculture. Generally, the Alpine space is a land of meadows and pastures. This is a result of developments on the European agricultural market and a better economic context for the production of milk and meat. This specialisation in cattle farming comes along with an intensified fodder production in the favourable valley floors. The slope regions and subalpine zone are dominated by land abandonment, which is a result of the need for lower production costs. Against the background of global change, intensification of land use, and land degradation throughout the Alps, increasing attention has been paid on ecosystem services and the underlying ecosystem functions, regarding, e.g., the production of natural goods, habitat and resource protection, preservation of biological diversity, and the supply of space and environment for recreation.