Overview

• An unnamed Val Gardena farmer installed the paid barrier on July 5–6 to protest litter, soil erosion and waste left by hikers and e-bike users on fragile alpine meadows.
• Carlo Alberto Zanella, president of CAI Alto Adige, publicized the protest on social media and warned that ‘quick-click’ visitors were accelerating ecosystem damage.
• Provincia autonoma di Bolzano invoked park rules to suspend the 5-euro barrier within hours of its launch and ordered its removal.
• Tourists already pay up to €48 for cable cars and around €30 at mountain huts, yet local landowners and volunteers receive no share of those revenues.
• The incident has reignited demands for stricter visitor education, fair revenue sharing and tighter controls to protect the Dolomites’ environment.