Papers by Walter Leimgruber
Visions of Leisure and Business, 1998
Political boundaries have traditionally been considered barriers, or obstacles, to all kinds of c... more Political boundaries have traditionally been considered barriers, or obstacles, to all kinds of communication and interaction. The end of the 20th century has seen a gradual de functionalisation of many political bounda ries and a subsequent increase in transborder cooperation. Among the economic sectors that benefit from such an opening of borders is tourism, · particularly on a regional scale. This paper examines the specific case of Switzerland, a landlocked country with a long tradition of regional transborder col laboration. After a general introduction, four examples are presented to demonstrate the rich variety of local transborder attrac tions that are complementary to each other and thus help to create a system of regional tourism.
Hrvatski geografski glasnik/Croatian Geographical Bulletin
Marginality and marginalisation have been researched extensively, especially during the 1960s and... more Marginality and marginalisation have been researched extensively, especially during the 1960s and 1970s within the context of rapid urbanization in Latin America, mostly to try to find out who is marginal and who is not. But most researchers stumbled on the complexity of the phenomenon of marginality. Drawn from a geographical perspective, this note brings together research results presented in 2010, and coming from up-to-date fieldwork research in various regional contexts. Trying to find out common denominators, it highlights the importance of scale and perspective in considering marginality, as well as changes in power relations, the very basis of the marginalisation process.
Geoenvironmental Disasters, 2016
Background: Natural hazards have had significant impacts on life, livelihood and property in the ... more Background: Natural hazards have had significant impacts on life, livelihood and property in the mountain regions. Hazards identification in high mountain areas involved intensive and lengthy fieldwork and mapping with the interpretation of landforms and its related hazards, compulsion of increasing intensity of land-use and careless application of technology leading to further land degradation. Frequent occurrences of hazards such as landslides, snow avalanche, floods and other types of mass wasting are becoming common features in mountainous regions. Results: Himalayan watershed has undergone a most dynamic change in land-use owing to the rapid increase in the population. The change in biophysical systems posed the direct bearing on the hydrological regime of Beas River. The peoples' perceptions regarding origin of hazards and techniques of control to the hazards showed that indigenous and lowland communities are more susceptible to hazards. Deforestation, slope cutting, construction of roads and heavy rainfall were high responsible factors resulting frequent landslides and soil erosion. Hazards cannot be avoided, however their disastrous pursuits can be lessened through pro-active uses of a variety of planning measures, infrastructure and risk transfer mechanism. Afforestation, embankment, better drainage techniques on slope, check on urban sprawl, and ecotourism are effective techniques to offset the local hazards and livelihood vulnerabilities. Conclusion: Owing to the typical geomorphic setting such as high relief variations, thick forest cover, presence of glacier and glacial lakes along the higher reaches, the Beas River is prone to cloudbursts, flash floods, forest fires, landslides and mass movement. The sustainable livelihood of Beas River may best be bestowed by enhanced landuses aided by technologies of bio-engineering, denaturalization of degraded mountain geosystem and resilience for changes.
Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology B, 2015
Global food supply has for a long time been regarded as only a problem of food production. Since ... more Global food supply has for a long time been regarded as only a problem of food production. Since the turn of the century, however, other aspects have entered the debate, such as improving food quality, changing eating habits and avoiding food waste. The latter topic has become the subject of attention for the past 10 years and the interest in it has steadily grown. This paper focuses on food waste within the overall context. Apart from the purely quantitative (material) aspects, it draws our attention to the immaterial side of waste, which has to do with our value system. It hopes to sharpen our minds towards a responsible way of dealing with resources.
GeoJournal, 2005
Boundaries can be seen as barriers or as places of contact. It has been suggested that we are ''p... more Boundaries can be seen as barriers or as places of contact. It has been suggested that we are ''prisoners of borders'', of all kinds of borders (political, religious, social, cultural, linguistic etc.). While this statement appears to be somewhat exaggerated, it holds some truth. Boundaries are elements in spatial organization, and they influence daily life in many ways (not only for people living right along them). The paper addresses the question if we must call ourselves ''prisoners'' or if we simply have to live with all kinds of borders. Departing from theoretical observations, the paper discusses the various aspects boundaries assume in the European context before looking at a few concrete Swiss examples. They reveal that even regions at a certain distance of the state border will feel its effects (the case of Zurich airport), but the most important benefit can been drawn by people living in the border area itself (through price differences between the two countries, as exemplified by the Swiss-Italian border). There may be asymmetry on state borders, but this asymmetry can also swing around: the advantages often lie on both sides. The paper concludes by pointing to the persistence of the boundary concept. They are a necessity for the organization of space and society, but they are not absolute. There are always holes in these prison walls, and the examples where boundaries were impermeable are probably rare.
Marginalization is related to inequality, both objective and subjective. In the former case, we a... more Marginalization is related to inequality, both objective and subjective. In the former case, we are confronted with aspects such as location, distance, accessibility, in the latter with problems inherent in society and culture, including distribution of wealth, power distribution, educational opportunities, image and perception. It is also this side that is exposed to the forces of economic, political and social globalization. This book addresses these issues with numerous examples from across the globe, focusing on the conflict potential of marginalization, the issue of border regions, and the problems of minorities.
Mountain Research and Development, 2005
BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access t... more BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.
Ahead of the Bonn summit, held in July 2001 and intending to save the Kyoto Protocol on climate c... more Ahead of the Bonn summit, held in July 2001 and intending to save the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, expectations had been high that the problem of increasing global warming could be solved by a general decrease of CO2 and other emissions of greenhouse gases to a level below that of 1990, and maybe even further. However, the Bonn summit
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Papers by Walter Leimgruber