The introductory paper with its mix of philosophy and experience from the Steinbacher Weg showed that preventing such an exodus calls for a judicious blend of creativity and rigour. One of the small steps necessary includes ensuring that the village is seen as a biotope that has to be reconditioned so that people can go on living there or live there once again. How this can be achieved in practice was presented using project examples collated as part of the Future in the Alps and PUSEMOR projects www.pusemor.net. Certain regions such as the valleys of Poschiavo/CH are looking in particular at the possibilities of new technologies. The Trenta Valley, the destination of the field trip, is reaping the fruits of another procedure, namely the successful co-operation with the Triglav National Park. In particular it resulted in the construction of a visitor centre, which now plays an important role in the Trenta Valley. A field report from Italy's Val Torre, where resignation is making it difficult to come up with optimistic prospects with regard to exodus, illustrates just how topical the workshop topic is.
The debate highlighted the reasons for the exodus as well as measures which sustainable development in particular would make possible. While Alpine communities need the same opportunities as towns and cities, they must also be self-motivated and have clearly defined objectives and ideals.
DYNALP² is a project by the network of municipalities "Alliance in the Alps" in which the findings gained from the Future in the Alps project are applied at the municipal level.