About us

The Landscape, Alps, Parks Forum is the central national network for connecting science, administration, practice and politics in the areas of landscape, the Alps and parks. It works to increase knowledge about landscapes and processes that change them, and implements research results effectively. The complexity of the issues involved means a variety of methods, approaches and experience are required, as well as multi-lateral collaboration between the disciplines of natural, social and economic sciences.

Our goals

• To promote inter and trans-disciplinary exchange on landscape issues
• To intensify and coordinate landscape, alpine and park research at national and international levels
• To encourage dialogue on landscape issues between the academic, practical, political and social disciplines
• To raise awareness around the landscape approach

Self-understanding

Based on the Council of Europe's Landscape Convention and the Swiss Federal Landscape Concept (LKS), FoLAP takes a holistic and spatially comprehensive view of the landscape, including mountain areas and their surroundings, (peri-)urban and rural regions, and the interrelationships between these areas. Another focus is on parks and World Heritage Sites in their role as instruments which serve in particular to preserve and promote the quality of the landscape in the areas concerned.

In contrast to the sectoral areas of politics and administration, FoLAP stands for an integrated approach to landscape. This approach must be further refined, cultivated and strengthened.

The landscape approach offers the opportunity to promote a holistic policy that transcends particular interests. FoLAP raises awareness and highlights where and how sectoral policies affect the landscape (as well as landscape quality and landscape services). It strengthens the awareness of various stakeholders that they are landscape actors and promotes their skills in this area.

Our activities

We analyse current developments and promote interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary dialogue, for example by organising and holding events. We publish our content via products like fact sheets, statements, reports and our newsletter.

We also represent the Academy of Sciences in the International Scientific Committee on Alpine Research (ISCAR), for which we run the secretariat.

Our 5 core topics

The Forum Landscape, Alps, Parks (FoLAP) implements the objectives formulated in the strategy by means of core topics. These serve as a benchmark and indicate where FoLAP needs to take action in the coming years in order to work with practitioners to develop and tap into expertise on upcoming global and national landscape issues. This includes both political and scientific agenda setting.