HL * Aga Khan's uncle wants to save Alps
Byline: CP
DD 02/06/90
SO CALGARY HERALD (CALG)
Edition: Final
Section: NEWS
Page: A2
Category: NEWS
LP * --- Aga Khan's uncle wants to save Alps --- DAVOS, Switzerland (CP) - One of the world's major philanthropists launched a campaign Monday to save the Alps from the onslaught of people.
TX Pointing to the Canadian Rockies as an example of environmental * protection, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan is heading the European campaign. He said the Canadian Rockies have been protected from over- development by Canada's national parks system. But a 1,000-kilometre European mountain range, traversing seven countries, is threatened by almost every environmental problem imaginable, he said. Sadruddin is president of the Bellerive Foundation behind the campaign. "Slowly but surely the mountains are being eroded and in some places reduced to deserts," he said. "I blame tourism for this explosion of chaotic development of the mountains." Sadruddin is the uncle of the Agha Khan and a former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. He is currently co-ordinator of the UN's relief effort for victims of the Afghan war. The Geneva-based Bellerive Foundation, founded in 1977 by Sadruddin to study scientific, technological and peace issues, calculates there are 40,000 ski runs in the seven Alpine countries, carrying 1.2 million passengers each hour during peak season. Sadruddin said he's not against tourism, but he would like to see a moratorium on development.
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