Nature Conservation Association Criticizes Bavarian Plans For Ski Resorts

The Bavarian state government wants to drastically restrict environmental assessments for ski resorts. The Nature Conservation Association has criticised Bavarian plans for ski resorts

"New ski slopes, snow cannons, and lifts are expected to be significantly easier to implement in the future. Environmental concerns that affect society as a whole are ignored. The state government is pursuing classic clientelist politics."

The Bavarian state government intends to make far-reaching concessions to investors regarding the expansion and new construction of ski slopes, snowmaking systems, and lifts. For example, the thresholds for mandatory environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are to be raised (see details below). "Under the guise of reducing bureaucracy, environmental and nature conservation are being sacrificed to give gifts to a small group of ski resort operators," criticizes Bavarian State Representative Martin Geilhufe. "Anyone who thinks that environmental protection is bureaucratic and outdated has not even begun to understand the true challenges of our time."

BN species conservation expert Dr. Christine Margraf continues: "An environmental impact assessment is—as the name suggests—an examination of whether a project is compatible with environmental protection. It therefore concerns fundamental concerns and interests of society that an investor must consider. Radically curtailing this important instrument here is classic clientelism for the benefit of a few and to the detriment of the general public."

The Federal Council has issued a statement on the modernization law. Regarding the reduction of the environmental impact assessment requirement, it states: "[This] not only ignores the real challenges facing ski resorts and municipalities, namely the development of environmentally friendly year-round tourism with the capital and unique selling point of alpine nature. By further facilitating misinvestments, at least in the medium term, it even counteracts corresponding efforts."

Planned relaxations for the EIA:

For snowmaking systems, increase the limit for an EIA requirement from 15 ha to 20 ha, in protected areas or legally protected biotopes from 7.5 ha to 10 ha
For ski slopes, increase the limit for an EIA requirement from 10 ha to 20 ha, in protected areas or legally protected biotopes from 5 ha to 10 ha
Reduction of the obligation to carry out an environmental impact assessment for cable cars by introducing two requirements, one of which has higher thresholds: an environmental impact assessment should only be required if a certain passenger transport capacity is reached and a straight line distance between valley and mountain stations of 3000 m (previously only one requirement) and a length of 1000 m for drag lifts and 2500 m for other cable cars.

BUND Naturschutz calls on the state government to abandon these plans and not to jeopardize the protection of alpine nature in favor of short-term economic interests.

Modernization Act Statement here