“State recognition of commoners’ organizations is extremely important”

Communal property has been a tradition in Switzerland since the Middle Ages. The mountain village of Törbel, in the canton of Valais, even made scientific history with it. But what about today – are collective bodies and their resources still relevant in mountain regions? And if so, how do they contribute to sustainable development? Researchers from the Universities of Bern and Lausanne conducted case studies in the cantons of Uri, Grisons, Obwalden, Valais, and Ticino. They conclude that this “Swiss Lab” of such land management systems holds lessons for similar organizations elsewhere.