Our day began with a delightful breakfast in the form of a buffet at the Wannenkopfhütte at 7:45, which set the stage for an enlightening tour with Mr. Anton Specht. He graciously shared a wealth of information about the importance of protecting forests in the Alps, which helped us withstand natural hazards such as floods, avalanches, falling rocks, and mudslides. He also discussed his role in their health and wellbeing. It would be beneficial for the protection of forests to consist of a mixture of different trees, as this would help to prevent them from collapsing due to bark beetles and other pests. On our way back to Augsburg, we had lunch at a beautiful hotel where the owner and mayor of Balderschwang, Mr. Konrad Kienle kindly shared more about the fascinating history of Balderschwang and the current challenges facing the region in relation to climate change. This well-known ski region has a major problem with permanent snow cover that would last throughout the entire ski season. Together with some other alpine villages they try to adapt and look for alternatives for the winter tourism in the project “BeyondSnow”. One result is the strengthening of summer tourism in this area.
