MaB research project | Internet project | CD ROM
The MaB research project in Grindelwald
MaB stands for "Man and the Biosphere".
MaB began as an interdisciplinary UNESCO
research programme in the early 1980s,
financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
| The objectivel | of the
Swiss national science foundation research programme was to show the relations between
economic activities, land use and ecological balance in mountain areas. Processes which
endanger the mountain area as habitat or a setting for economic activities and recreation
were recorded and analyzed. |
| Grindelwald | was one of
4 test areas in the Swiss Alps. Davos, Aletsch and Pays d'Enhaut were the other thre
regions investigated. |
| Researchers | in the MaB
Grindelwald project represented a wide variety of disciplines, including geography,
biology and sociology, among others. |
| Data | was
collected for more than 5500 surface units. The database include information on geology,
climate, vegetation, land use, settlement, population, and much more. More than 1000
variables were considered. A unique collection of information was brought together. |
| Project findings | were not
only of scientific interest, but also allowed the commune of Grindelwald to make plans for
its future development to the year 2000. |
| Research | is still carried out today by university students. The research project is designed to analyse the development of Grindelwald and compare it with the goals expressed in the communal plan for future development. |
| Objective | The Internet web site on Grindelwald was designed to convey findings on culture and the natural landscape produced by the MaB project to a wider public, and to make people aware of the beauty, diversity and rarity of the Grindelwald landscape. |
| Public audience | The homepage aims to serve as a source of information for everyone interested in the Alpine landscape, as well as visitors to Grindelwald who wish to know more about the place where they have chosen to spend a holiday. We particularly hope to reach school children, whom we invite to take a closer look at the history and development of a tourist centre in the Alps. |
| Funding | Swiss
Agency for the Environment, Forests, and Landscape (SAEFL), «ENSJ 95» Community of Grindelwald Tourist office Grindelwald Fristbahnen Grindelwald Jungfraubahnen AG, Interlaken Männlichenbahnen Grindelwald Association of hotelkeepers Grindelwald Lotteriefonds des Kantons Bern Institute of Geography, University of Berne |
| Point of information | An attractive multimedia information packet on the cultural landscape of Grindelwald has also been developed. It is currently on view at the Swiss Alpine Museum in Bern. From September 1998, this multimedia presentation will also be available at the tourist information office in Grindelwald. |