EVALM – Evaluation of the Rural Development of Alpine Pastures

The multifunctionality of alpine pastures in Austria is based on a close link between ecological, economic and sociocultural factors. Within the scope of the project EVALM, we evaluated the impact of the programme LE 07-13 on Austrian alpine pastures and conducted an analysis of its overall effect.

The evaluation allowed a demonstration of the concrete contribution of rural development measures individually as well as collectively with regard to ecological, economic and sociocultural aspects of the alpine farming system in Austria, including interactions between the individual measures.

By means of consultations, interviews and vegetation-ecological mapping, we conducted detailed research on individual farms as well as model farms. We analysed the collected data in combination with national IACS data, allowing for conclusions regarding the sociocultural and economic significance of alpine farming for the pertinent farm businesses as well as regarding the ecological preservation status of the alpine pastures. We discussed and extended the evaluation results in three workshops with stakeholders as well as national and international experts.
For this project, suske consulting led an interdisciplinary team including the Austrian Council for Agricultural Engineering and Rural Development (ÖKL), the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA), Birdlife Austria and NatureConsult.
The three-year project was completed successfully in 2012.

Article from „Der Alm und Bergbauer“ (in German)