South Africa will appear this winter in giant size on the buildings at Courchevel, it seems incongruous to you?
And yet, there is a real parallel between our station and this great country of wealth, colors and sensations: the successful challenge of coexistence between economic dynamism and a protected environment.

Whether the lion and rhinoceros in the vast reserve which is Kruger National Park, or the ibex and vulture in our Vanoise National Park, these symbolic animals are the representatives of a preserved environment. By the presence of the wildlife so close to human activity, we must see the political will to maintain a space for its existence, to mobilize and preserve the delicate balance that exists between species and natural environments.

If tourism leaves a growing environmental footprint, the challenge of today and tomorrow is the preservation of biodiversity. This what's exposed to open air through the beautiful pictures of Christophe Lepetit and Heinrich Van Den Berg. They also remind us that each of us is responsible for the preservation of our mountains.

Gilbert Blanc-Taylor
Mayor of Saint-Bon Courchevel