20th century land management in the Pyrenees: from integrated global use of resources to spatially disorganized land uses

Abstract

Land management systems and the dynamics of land uses during the 20th century in the Aragonese Pyrenees have changed as a consequence of the integration of the mountain regions in the national economy. The main spatial changes are the intensification of the use of the valleys and the abandonment of the slopes, which were totally integrated in the traditional production system. As a consequence, total farm land surface decreased, cereal crops have been substituted by alpine meadows, reverse transhumance has disappeared, cattle pressure has decreased, some slopes and watersheds have been reforested, tourism has greatly developed and many valley bottoms have been flooded by reservoirs. The modern system is extremely fragile and vulnerable because it depends excessively on policy decisions and capital investments from outside the mountain regions.