Following the General Meeting of the Association Nationale des Maires des Stations de Montagne-ANMSM (National Association of Mayors of Mountain Resorts) held in La Clusaz on 17 and 18 September, more than 100 mayors of mountain resorts have issued a statement calling on the public authorities to help mountain resorts adapt to the changing environment in their areas, and calling for a balance to be struck between tourists and the local population, the economy and the environment, and the need to maintain the population and preserve nature.

“Local elected representatives and stakeholders are already committed to helping resorts evolve. While this region is constantly changing, the mountains of tomorrow will be diverse: a model focused on snow for some, the development of other types of activities for others.”

An appeal from 100 mayors of mountain resorts to the public authorities to help them adapt France’s mountain regions

To maintain the economy and support families by enabling them to stay in the country, the elected representatives are calling for the mountains to evolve through four essential levers:

  • Resort development, to (re)connect the region while taking into account its specific characteristics and ensuring the safety of its inhabitants.
  • Diversifying the offer and the seasons to continue to adapt the mountains.
    Water management through multi-purpose hill reservoirs: summer activities, source of drinking water, pastoralism, fire-fighting, support for winter activities.
  • Adapting the transport offer to reduce the carbon footprint of resorts: developing the train offer and thus meeting the needs of tourists and local populations, in winter as in summer, from the first to the last kilometre to get to the resort.

Elected representatives and mountain professionals did not wait until the recent crises to start adapting the mountains. “The role of the public authorities is to support this transition in order to speed up the adaptation of the economic model, without undermining an ecosystem that provides a living for hundreds of thousands of people”.

Opinion column: At a crossroads, mountains in motion look to the future

For several decades, French mountain resorts have ranked among the world leaders in winter tourism, providing France with a major economic resource. But the mountains are also home to a permanent population of nearly 8.5 million people, who are deeply attached to their mountains.

So it’s vital to reconcile holidaymakers and local populations, the economy and the environment, keeping people in the mountains and preserving nature.

Local elected representatives and stakeholders are already committed to developing the resorts. While this region is in a state of perpetual flux, the mountains of tomorrow will be diverse: a model focused on snow for some, the development of other types of activities for others.

Public authorities also have a role to play in defending these areas and ensuring a future for mountain people. In the words of French mountaineer Nicolas HELMBACHER: “The mountains provide us with a backdrop … It’s up to us to invent the story that goes with it! It’s up to us to invent the story that goes with it!

Continuing to live in the mountains

With 400,000 direct and indirect jobs (shops, restaurants, accommodation, activity services, ski lifts, agriculture), snow-related tourism is still the key to the future of mountain villages. It is vital to think about the development of our resorts in order to (re)connect the region, while taking account of its specific characteristics. Behind the investments and infrastructure improvements, we need to protect our mountain people and maintain an economy that supports families and enables them to stay in the area. Because the mountains are also a hostile environment, and we need to know how to maintain and develop them to ensure the safety of their inhabitants.

Towards a diversified, sustainable mountain environment

However, elected representatives and mountain professionals did not wait until the recent crises to start adapting the mountains. For over two decades, the mountain resorts have been diversifying their offer and their seasons, and some of them are now realising that they need to do so more quickly. The recent winter season confirms this: with snow levels varying greatly from one mountain range to another, there have never been so many holidaymakers, proof that the mountains are attractive in a constantly changing environment.Climate change is leading to new behaviours, such as the rise of slow tourism, which is perfectly suited to mountain regions with their wide-open spaces, and “cool tourism”. With the increasingly stifling summer heat and repeated heatwaves, many holidaymakers are now choosing ‘cooler’ places like the mountains, which are also a veritable reservoir of fresh water. We need to manage this vital resource pragmatically when there is an overabundance, to reinject it at certain times of the year and use it wisely. Thanks to hill reservoirs, our regions are full of hydroelectric power stations.

Adapting transport services to reduce the carbon footprint of mountain resorts

With 60% of the carbon footprint of mountain resorts coming from transport, we need to speed up and scale up the efforts already being made by a number of localities to give preference to rail over car for getting to our resorts. For a number of years now, elected mountain representatives have been working alongside transport operators to develop train services and meet the needs of holidaymakers, in winter and summer alike, from the first to the last kilometre of the journey to the resort. The train must become the preferred means of transport. To achieve this, the political will of the State is essential.

For more than 80 years, the French mountains have been evolving and reinventing themselves, always in search of new trajectories. The role of the public authorities is to support this transition, to speed up the adaptation of the economic model without undermining an ecosystem that provides a livelihood for hundreds of thousands of people. Elected representatives and professionals in the sector are proving every day that the mountains are a committed region (valley lifts, reservoirs producing renewable energy). History continues to be made.

SIGNATORIES

Mylène AGNELLI Mayor of Isola, Alexandre ALBRIEUX Mayor of Valmeinier, Yannick AMET Mayor of Sainte-Foy Tarentaise, Guy AMMIRATI Mayor of Péone/Valberg, Pascal ARRIBET Mayor of Barèges/ Le Grand Tourmalet, Jacques ARNOUX Mayor of Val Cenis, François BARBIER Mayor of Les Contamines Montjoie, Henri BAUDET Mayor of Bolquère/Pyrénées 2000, Fabrice BAUDRAY Mayor of Saint-Sorlin d’Arves, Simon BEERENS-BETTEX Mayor of Morillon/Morillon-Grand Massif, Linda BENARD Mayor of St Jacques des Blats/Le Lioran, Régis BENED Mayor of Thollon les Mémises, Brigitte de BERNIS Mayor of Chamrousse, Martine BLANC Mayor of Pralognan-la-Vanoise,Gérard BLANCHARD Mayor of Saint Michel de Chaillol/Chaillol 1600, Jean-Luc BOCH Mayor of La Plagne Tarentaise, Pierre-Yves BONNIVARD Mayor of Saint Colomban des Villards, Ghislaine BOSSONNEY Mayor of Les Houches, Stéphane BOYER Mayor of Aussois, Alexandra BUTEL Mayor of Dévoluy, Sabine CARRIERE Mayor of Ascou, Claude CAZABAT Mayor of Bagnères de Bigorre/Le Grand Tourmalet, Benoît CAZERES Mayor of Selonnet/Chabanon, Carole CERVEL Mayor of Valdeblore/ La Colmiane, William CHALENCON Mayor of Saint Jean d’Aulps, Claude CHAMBEL Mayor of Combloux, Karim-Eugène CHAMON Mayor of La Chapelle du Bard/Le Collet d’Allevard, Corinne CHANFRAY Mayor of Saint-Chaffrey/Serre-Chevalier Vallée, Marcel CHAUD Mayor of Puy-Saint-Vincent, Jean-Louis CLEMENT Mayor of Ancelle, Bernard COVAREL Mayor of Fontcouverte/La Toussuire, Maryvonne CROUVEZIER Mayor of La Bresse, Daniel DANGLARD Mayor of La Giettaz-en-Aravis, Jean-Paul DAVID Mayor of Guillaumes/Valberg, Gérald DAVID-CRUZ Mayor of La Chapelle d’Abondance, Xavier DESMARETS Mayor of Hauteluce/Les Saisies, Guillaume DESRUES, Mayor of Bourg Saint-Maurice/Les Arcs, Jean DIDIER Mayor of Albiez-Montrond, Sébastien DUBOURG Mayor of Le Mont-Dore, Colette FABRON Mayor of Saint-Etienne-de-Tinée/Auron, Patrice FONTAINE Mayor of Villarembert/Le Corbier, Dominique FOURCADE Mayor of Ax les Thermes, Alexandra FOURGEAUD Mayor of Arâches-la-Frasse/Les Carroz & Flaine, Eric FOURNIER Mayor of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Christian FRISON-ROCHE Mayor of Beaufort/Arèches-Beaufort, Lionel GAY Mayor of Besse and Saint-Anastaise/Besse Super-Besse, Roland GIRAUD Mayor of Beuil les Launes, Roger GROSSIORD Mayor of Lélex/Monts Jura, Thomas GUILLET Mayor of Corrençon en Vercors/Villard-de-Lans, Guy HAZEMANN Mayor of Belmont/Champ du Feu, Guy HERMITTE Mayor of Montgenèvre, Christiane HUSTACHE Mayor of Saint-Jean d’Arves, Pierre André JACQUIER Mayor of Bernex, Claude JAY Mayor of Belleville/Les Menuires/Val Thorens, Ghislaine JOLY Mayor of Saint-Nicolas la Chapelle/Flumet, Marc KONAREFF Mayor of Bonneval sur Arc, Michaël KRAEMER Mayor of Lans en Vercors, Michel LANTELME Mayor of Allos/Val d’Allos, Dominique LAUDRE Mayor of Vars, Alain LUNEAU Mayor of Font Romeu, Marc MALFATTO Mayor of Gréolières, Gérald MARTINEZ Mayor of Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes, Raymond MASLO Mayor of La Morte/Alpe du Grand Serre, Gilles MARGUERON Mayor of Villarodin-Bourget, President of the Syndicat Mixte Thabor Vanoise/Valfréjus & La Norma, Patrick MARTIN Mayor of Val d’Isère, Arnaud MATHIEU Mayor of Villard-de-Lans,Régine MILLET Mayor of Theys-Vice-President of the Mountain Community of Communes of Grésivaudan/Les 7 Laux-Le Collet d’Allevard-le Col de Marcieu, Arnaud MURGIA Mayor of Briançon/ Serre-Chevalier Vallée, André MIR Mayor of Saint-Lary-Soulan, Yves MOIROUX Mayor of Auris-en-Oisans, Philippe MOLLIER Mayor of Notre-Dame de Bellecombe, Jean-Yves NOYREY Mayor of Huez/Alpe d’Huez, Marie-Pierre OUVRIER Mayor of Flumet/Saint Nicolas La Chapelle, Jean-Yves PACHOD Mayor of Courchevel, Gilles PEGUET Mayor of Taninges/Praz de Lys Sommand, Delphine PERREAU Mayor of Les Adrets/ Les 7 Laux, André PERRILLAT-AMEDE Mayor of Grand-Bornand, Philippe PETITQUEUX Mayor of Formiguères, Jean-Pierre PIC Mayor of La Grave, Bruno PIDEIL Mayor of Brides les Bains, André POINTET Mayor of Grand-Aigueblanche/Valmorel, Michel POUDADE Mayor of Les Angles, Patrick PROVOST Mayor of Saint-François Longchamp, Jean-Claude RAFFIN Mayor of Modane/Valfréjus, Christophe RAMBAUD Mayor of Crest-Voland, Johann RAVAILLER Mayor of Magland/President of the Syndicat Intercommunal de Flaine, Sidney REBBOAH Mayor of Allevard/Le Collet d’Allevard, Serge REVIAL Mayor of Tignes, Patrick RICOU Mayor of Orcières, Thierry RIGOLLET Mayor of Saint-Maurice sur Moselle/Rouge Gazon, Jean-Pierre ROUGEAUX Mayor of Valloire,Nicolas RUBIN Mayor of Châtel, René RUFFIER-LANCHE Mayor of Champagny en Vanoise, Philippe SAGE Mayor of Oz-en-Oisans, Emeric SALLE Mayor of La Salle les Alpes/Serre-Chevalier Vallée, Stéphane SAUVEBOIS Mayor of Les 2 Alpes, Béatrice SAVORNIN Mayor of Montclar, Régis SIMOND Mayor of Risoul, Stessy SPEISSMANN-MOZAS Mayor of Gérardmer, Didier THEVENET Mayor of La Clusaz, Brigitte VANSON Mayor of Ventron, Bernard VAQUIÉ Mayor of Camurac, Sophie VERNEY Mayor of Montricher Albanne/Les Karellis, Guillaume VILLIBORD Mayor of Peisey-Nancroix/ Peisey-Vallandry, Pierre VOLLAIRE Mayor of Les Orres, Jean-Michel VORGER Mayor of Les Avanchers/Valmorel.