IUCN, European Regional Office

Rock climbing is a continent-wide phenomenon. Any ban on climbing in one country invevitably leads to increased pressure on sites in other countries. Thus, regional if not continent-wide approaches are essential to identify sites where restrictions on climbing may be necessary, and to justify, negotiate, and publicise these restrictions (which are often temporary or seasonal). This report examines the history of climbing and its social and economic significance.

Cooperation at the scale of entire mountain ranges, whether through formal agreements or regional institutions, is widely acknowledged to be desirable. The Caucasus, generally better known for conflict than cooperation, is a major centre of biological, landscape, and cultural diversity.

This report was written as a contribution to Action Theme 10 (mountain ecosystems) of the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS). It comprises and introduction to Activity 10.6, on cooperation in mountain ranges, of the PBLDS, followed by a review and assessment of existing mechanisms for inter-governmental cooperation in the Alps.