Bavarian Nature Conservation Association files an urgent lawsuit seeking an immediate halt to construction at Fellhorn.

The Bavarian Nature Conservation Association (LBV) has filed a lawsuit with the Augsburg Administrative Court against the construction of a new chairlift at Scheidtobel and against the construction of ski slopes in the Bierenwang and Walsergund areas of the Fellhorn mountain in the Oberallgäu district.

As early as October 2025, the Bavarian Nature Conservation Association (LBV) criticized the so-called Third Modernization Act for undermining environmental standards. For example, an environmental impact assessment was no longer required for the planned construction of a new chairlift at Scheidtobel, even though the project is located in an area with the highest protection categories. The area is simultaneously a nature reserve, a Natura 2000 site, and a European bird protection area. In a press release from November, the LBV criticized the plans for the new chairlift as not being approvable.

The Alps are the habitat of many highly endangered animal and plant species that are particularly threatened by climate change. At the same time, Bavaria bears a special responsibility for the conservation of those species that are found in Germany only in the Alps. The Bavarian Society for the Protection of Birds (LBV) will not allow massive interventions in highly sensitive ecosystems to be carried out for short-term economic interests without a comprehensive assessment of the environmental impact.

"Since the permit for the planned chairlift ordered immediate enforcement and initial clearing work has already taken place in the area, we have filed an urgent application for an immediate halt to construction," explains LBV Managing Director Helmut Beran. The affected area at Scheidtobel lies in a particularly sensitive area of ​​the Allgäu High Alps. Parts of the planned construction project are located within the Allgäu High Alps Nature Reserve, a Natura 2000 site, and a bird sanctuary, all of which are intended to protect the black grouse, which is threatened with extinction in Bavaria. The area is one of the most important habitats for the black grouse in Bavaria. "In our assessment, the chairlift and other construction projects in the area are not at all permissible," criticizes Beran.

The planned construction of the chairlift would involve relocating the valley station approximately 100 meters downhill and positioning the mountain station about 220 meters higher. In addition, various expansions of the ski slopes on the Bierenwang and Walsergund runs are planned. "In our assessment, these construction measures are not a replacement project, but rather the creation of new ski infrastructure measures that contradict the requirements of the Alpine Plan and are therefore not approvable," explains LBV Managing Director Beran.

Even the project operators anticipate a multitude of disruptive factors for the black grouse. These include snow compaction, the loss of winter habitats, disturbances at lekking grounds, significant impairments during the construction phase, and habitat fragmentation. "To conclude from this that the overall construction measures will not result in any deterioration and that the project is harmless is not scientifically sound and contradicts the conservation objectives of the affected protected areas," explains Helmut Beran.

Furthermore, the Fellhorn cable car company is planning additional projects in the Scheidtobel area that are not part of the currently approved measures. These include the construction of a new snowmaking reservoir with three times the storage capacity near the Kanzelwandhaus mountain hut, as well as a new Swisscord lift. The Bavarian Nature Conservation Association (LBV) has demanded from the outset that all plans be consolidated into a single approval process to assess the impact on all protected habitats. "Without considering the overall impact of all planned measures in the area, a sound expert assessment is impossible. This is a kind of piecemeal approach to obtaining permits for individual projects that, taken together, would either not be approved at all or would only be approved with stringent conditions," explains Beran.