Agricultural decline, landscape change, and outmigration: Debating the sustainability of three scenarios for a Swiss mountain region

As in many other mountain areas, peripheral regions of the Swiss Alps are experiencing outmigration, especially of younger people, due to lack of opportunities. Winter tourism, often the backbone of regional economies, is declining in many small- and medium-sized resorts. At the same time, agricultural decline is leading to land abandonment and natural reforestation, which may have implications for the sustainability of development in these areas. In a case study of the European Union (EU) BioScene research project, thr agricultural and land use scenarios were developed for the Surses..