Biodiversität

Anyone who extends their ski touring season into early summer is bound to have seen them before. Many of us may know that the strange red spots on the early summer firn are algae (Fig.1 ). But they are by no means the only inhabitants of our treasured snow cover. Snow and glacier ice are much more than a sterile collection of frozen water. They are dynamic ecosystems made up of a multitude of microorganisms that have undergone hundreds of millions of years of evolution to adapt to these harsh environments.

During our mountain adventures, our high-altitude tours - in summer and winter - always take us to the icy glacier regions that are permanently covered in snow. According to the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive (FFH Directive), these areas belong to habitat type 8240 "permanent glaciers", which is described as "high alpine zones permanently covered by snow or ice". An extremely inhospitable place - and yet we can certainly speak of a habitat here.

There was a lively discussion about sustainability in winter sports and in general in response to our last Snow of Tomorrow post. The term "planetary boundaries" was frequently mentioned in the comments. That's why we want to use today's post to briefly explain this term and the theory behind it. Where do we as humans reach the limits of our planet? And what happens when we exceed these limits?

Climate protection doesn't just mean driving less and consuming more sustainably. Climate protection often starts with breakfast and goes far beyond dinner. But are vegans the better climate protectors? And why shouldn't we neglect the soil?

Climate protection, environmental protection, nature conservation. All the same thing - or not? We set out in search of an answer and asked ourselves whether doing without plastic actually protects the climate.