It seems clear, from the responses given, that the conservation of Alpine agrobiodiversity must extend from the farmers through to the consumers, with the experts acting as guides. Without this strategic ‘whole-system’ approach to
conservation, all attempts to conserve Alpine agrobiodiversity in vivo are futile. Lack of coordination between actors can lead to duplication of work and organisations and institutions working with different objectives or even against each other. The lack of cohesion in the conservation efforts can lead to inefficiency, a lack of transparency and a lack of usable data.
Cooperation between experts encourages a process of social learning within which experts stand to gain further knowledge and understanding through collaboration with their peers. This process thus creates an epistemic community for the conservation of Alpine agrobiodiversity.
A regular repetition of this exercise based on the themes that have been brought up in this first Alpine Delphi should enable successful monitoring of the Alpine Region for many years to come.