An uphill struggle against scrub encroachment: Implementation of the alpine pasturing subsidy scheme in Switzerland

In Switzerland, there is a long-standing tradition of sending livestock to alpine pastures and since 1980, subsidies have helped maintain this tradition. In its current version, this agri-environmental scheme consists of two instruments: a rather sophisticated stocking target and detailed management requirements. Based on observational data and complemented with interviews, this article provides an evaluation of how this regime has been implemented by cantonal agencies between 2003 and 2008. Implementation difficulties are prevalent particularly concerning the management standards, but enforcement is more stringent if sufficient resources are available. The enforcement of the lower bound of the stocking target is less stringent if under-stocking is common in a canton. Payment schemes that shall sustain traditional pasture management practices are dependent on incentives to countervail the consequences of structural change in agriculture: the decline of cattle sent to the summer farms. Without such incentives, instruments have to be provided (i.e., mandatory management plans based on regional cooperation) that support a controlled abandonment of marginal pastures.