Based on inventories of similarities and differences, a comparative approach to high mountains can yield surprising insights that highlight which aspects are unique in both cases and make “old things look new.” Insights are determined by the parameters of comparison. In this issue, the raw geographical elements of both high mountain areas have been the points of departure of the articles in the Development as well as the Research sections. Both highland areas cover more than 100,000 km², a daunting area for comparative research. As a result, the authors often relied on case studies, choosing representative or especially interesting examples to illustrate general hypotheses. Even if the terms Alps and alpine have a European origin, the Old World does not necessarily set the standard of a comparative approach. Findings in the Southern Hemisphere complement findings in the Northern Hemisphere and vice versa; often the results of research show that nothing can be taken for granted.

Many physical similarities exist between the European Alps and the Southern Alps of New Zealand. This may be the reason why European settlers (re)named Ka Tiritiri o te Moana—the Maori name for the long stretch of alpine country that crosses Te Wahi Pounamu or the South Island from southwest to northeast— the Southern Alps. But both major mountain ranges have very different landscape histories and cultural heritages: a centuries-old history at the heart of the densely populated European Continent and a rich adaptation of Polynesian and European cultures on an island (fairly) recently settled and sparsely populated. This paper compares 5 representative landscape types in New Zealand and Switzerland from a geographer's viewpoint, briefly discussing physical and cultural similarities and differences. The area selected for presentation in each case covers a square of approximately 100 km².

These lines by J. K. Baxter capture something of the ambivalent role played by the South Island High Country in the collective psyche, science, and public policy of New Zealand. As Kevin O'Connor, Professor of Range Management, put it in 1993: “Most people in New Zealand would be disconcerted if their mountain skylines to familiar landscapes were removed. Nevertheless, the influence of New Zealand mountains on its national consciousness does not appear to have great significance in policy…” Nowhere is this more apparent than in regard to landscape issues. This article focuses on the landscape of the South Island High Country. We first define the High Country, describe its distinctive landscapes, and provide an overview of its landscape history. We then identify and review trends and issues in landscape change.

The Alps extend across the territory of 7 countries in Central Europe. But what do they actually represent? Do they constitute the major barrier between north and south? Are they a reservoir of future European resources? Are they an all-purpose Disneyland for anyone seeking recreation, fun, or simply a quick thrill? Should they be seen as a habitat and a cultural landscape or a global model for sustainable development? Depending on the personal point of view of the observer or of the people who inhabit the Alps, they may be all or only one of these things.

New Zealand is a very mountainous country with sparsely populated mountain lands. While large tracts are held in private ownership and used in pastoral production, the majority is state owned. New Zealand's protected natural area system encompasses the Southern Alps/Ka Tiritiri o te Moana and the North Island peaks, with the highest mountains in the country within Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, a World Heritage Site. Thirty percent of New Zealand's land area falls within the protected natural area system, managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Within these mountain lands, there is a range of mountain recreation opportunities including skiing, alpine climbing, hiking, wilderness fishing, and hunting. Aircraft-based activities, such as scenic overflights, heli-hiking, and glacier skiing, dominate some mountain regions. Ski fields represent small enclaves of high-level facility and infrastructure development within an environment that is largely unmodified wilderness. To facilitate high-quality recreational experiences and protect the natural mountain environment, DOC provides facilities such as huts and tracks, and applies management techniques to minimize visitor conflict and biophysical impacts. Commercial activities in parks are managed through concessions that place controls upon these activities.

The future of Swiss alpine winter tourism must be reassessed in view of global climate change in order to determine possible strategies for overall development of mountain regions. At present, 85% of all Swiss ski areas still have sufficient snow cover. A 300-m rise of the snow line, however, would reduce this to about 63%. As a consequence, skiers will expect more artificial snow, go on winter holidays less often, and concentrate on ski areas at higher altitudes. On the supply side, climate change will be used to justify increased use of artificial snow and advances into areas above 3000 m. This raises a variety of new problems, both economic and ecological. Developments in the Swiss snow industry indicate the rise of 2 distinct classes of tourist resorts. Climate change may increase economic pressure in terms of capital concentration and division into “winners” and “losers.” Although global climate change certainly has an influence on tourism, it is not the only factor that determines the conditions of tourism.

The European Alps (Alps) and Southern Alps of New Zealand (Southern Alps) are both high mountain ranges formed by the collision of tectonic plates. The Alps resulted from collision of the African and European Plates, which produced complex lithological and structural patterns associated with the development of a series of overthrusted nappes. In contrast, the plate margin deformation that created the Southern Alps produced a relatively simple structural and lithological pattern dominated by a single right lateral oblique slip fault zone known as the Alpine Fault. Strong contrasts are also apparent in the contemporary rates of landscape development. The Alps currently experience modest rates of uplift and denudation because deformation along the plate boundary has slowed. High rates of compressional strain along the Alpine Fault in New Zealand result in very high rates of uplift. These processes and the position of the mountain range across the prevailing atmospheric westerly circulation system result in exceptionally high rates of denudation. Although there are strong contrasts in the lithology and structure of the Alps and Southern Alps, both experienced the growth and decay of expanded valley and piedmont glaciers during the Quaternary. The impact of multiple Quaternary ice advances has left a strong imprint on the landscapes. Both mountain ranges have particularly well-developed, over-deepened troughs and widespread glacial sediments and landforms, which heavily influence modern geomorphic processes and land use. Today numerous glaciers in both regions show strong reactions to global warming since the end of the Little Ice Age.

The human histories of the European and Southern Alps are very different, with contrasts in respective length of time settled, population, and the types of records that the populations in each environment have left behind. This article explores these differences for the period 1000–1900 AD, tracing the specific trajectories of Alpine development in both places before analyzing the discovery of both regions as recreational playgrounds by lowland peoples in the late 19th century.

A comparative review is provided of the weather and climate processes and phenomena that characterize the New Zealand Southern Alps and European Alps. The general climate conditions and atmospheric circulation features that affect the 2 mountain regions are assessed. Interaction of the mountains with synoptic weather systems is described, including their dynamic and thermal effects on airflow, such as the foehn and nor'wester. The different orientations of the mountain barriers are seen as creating differences between the 2 regions, including the high frequency of cyclogenesis south of the European Alps and the marked orographic effect on fronts along the east coast of New Zealand. Other distinctive features of the regional wind field are described and explained. Mountain effects on rainfall amounts and distribution are also briefly covered, including the very high precipitation received on the west coast of the New Zealand Southern Alps and the more even spread of precipitation north and south of the European Alps. Medium- to long-term influences on the climate are examined for each region, with both affected by interregional teleconnections. El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NSO) are seen as strongly controlling the intradecadal climate variability experienced in the New Zealand Southern Alps and European Alps, respectively.

The hydrology of the Alps in Switzerland and New Zealand is compared. Similarities and differences in topographical features, climate and weather characteristics, precipitation, and streamflow are identified. Precipitation and runoff are much higher in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, whereas the proportion and influence of snow to rainfall is greater in the Swiss Alps. Despite differences related to continental versus island characteristics and different altitudinal ranges, both Alps are important for producing water resources for downstream regions. Swiss evaporation data were used to improve knowledge of evaporation in the Southern Alps. Comparison of water volumes involved in the hydrological cycle highlighted the fact that the Southern Alps are one of the highest water-yielding regions of the world's temperate zones.

The mountain forests of Switzerland and New Zealand have been modified by people, plants, and animals, albeit at different times and in distinctive ways. In both countries, what had been extensive wooded tracts at the start of human settlement were progressively converted by settlers to heterogeneous forest patches surrounded by pasture and other managed systems. Some native species thrived, others became rare, and a relatively small number disappeared. At the same time, exotic plant and animal species became established in remaining areas of forest and have had diverse impacts on the native biota. In both countries, from the 1870s onward, laws were enacted to protect native forest ecosystems. Targeted programs of pest plant and animal control, new regional and national patterns of economic activity, the slow retreat of commercial farming from economically marginal lands, competition from cheap imported wood in Switzerland, and a heightened conservation ethic are expected to facilitate the reestablishment of native forest ecosystems in the mountains of both countries.