Balancing Economic Development and Environmental Conservation for a New Governance of Alpine Areas

Abstract

Abstract:In the Alpine environment, Man has always been directly dependent on mountain ecosystems. Social mechanisms have created specific models of governance, capable of assuring the persistence of ecosystems and their capacity to provide essential goods and services. In recent decades, however, dramatic changes have occurred, such as climate change and changes in land use. The complexity common to all linked human-natural environment systems is extremely marked in the Alpine areas and this makes it difficult to understand how resilient these systems may be. Many research questions arise, in particular as to the comprehension and quantification of the impact of changes on the capacity of ecosystems to produce goods and services in a sustainable way, and the possibility of local mechanisms of governance to adapt to both current and future changes. Reasons and effects of change are analysed from the perspective of the specific issues of governance. The importance of the Ecosystems Services (ESs) concept is acknowledged and the necessity for a dynamic assessment of ESs, taking into account people's values and expectations, is particularly stressed. Through a careful analysis of selected papers and case studies, the main gaps in current knowledge are identified and directions for further research are provided.

New Farming as an Example of Social Innovation Responding to Challenges of Inner Mountain Areas of Italian Alps

“…Mountain communities have been characterized by a long tradition of self-government, cooperation and rural autonomy, whereby local communities were assigned competence for many issues of local interest and were (and still are) responsible for the management of the commons, in particular, woodlands and pasturelands. (Cantiani et al 2016, Gretter et al, 2018. Regarding the economic and technological aspects, as Zanon (2018, pp.4-3) asserts "not only mountain sites are characterized by up-to-date equipment and activities, but there are also cases of innovative initiatives and firms that are competitive in the larger market.…”

Come rispondere alle sfide delle aree interne delle Alpi Italiane? Il "New farming" come esempio di innovazione sociale

“…Le comunità rurali montane sono caratterizzate da una lunga tradizione di autogoverno, cooperazione e autonomia rurale. Ad esse sono state assegnate competenze su questioni di interesse locale e responsabilità della gestione dei beni di interesse collettivo, in particolare delle foreste e pascoli (Cantiani et al, 2016, Gretter et al, 2018. Riguardo agli aspetti economici e tecnologici, come afferma Zanon (2018, pp.…”

Aging in Resilient Communities-An Alpine Case Study: The Senior Living Lab Experience

“…The governance vision can then be applied using the knowledge gained from organizations like Pro Senectute that have been funded to care for an aging population and communal authorities. Within the context of demographic change, new governance models are required to accelerate socio-economic change processes, "However, maintaining vital communities in the mountains, (a problem common to the entire Alpine Region) is today an essential condition for the conservation of the landscape in all its diversity, for the physical protection of the territory and for the safeguarding of all those values associated with the local culture and traditions" [20]. Maintaining viable communities is central for both ecological conservation and demographic balance.…”