Chapter 1
The High Mountain Conservation
in a Changing World
Jordi Catalan, Josep M. Ninot and M. Mercè Aniz
Abstract The high mountains have retained a noticeable degree of wilderness even
in the most populated regions of the planet. This is the reason why many nature
reserves have been established in these landscapes. Currently, climate change and
long-range transport of contaminants are affecting those protected areas, and thus
conservation priorities may be challenged by these new pressures. In fact, many
high mountains hold a legacy of on-site past human activities (e.g., pasturing,
forestry, mining), which in some areas may partially persist, even increase, whereas
in others are substituted by new uses (e.g., tourism, mountain sport). Therefore,
high mountain nature reserves face a challenging future. The conservation goals
have to be revised. Former alternative paradigms respectively based on the
preservation of wilderness or a traditional cultural landscape will be insufficient.
Indeed, global change provides new goals for the high mountain conservation areas
as suitable places where to study the nature’s response in the absence of, or
combined with, other local pressures. Different branches of sciences may contribute
to inform about the changes; however, conservation is ultimately a societal
endeavour and thus their goals must be linked to the social demand for a fair society
in a sustainable planet. As an added-value to this task, the high mountains hold a
large amount of symbolism.
Keywords Nature reserves Á Climate change Á Landscape shifts Á Alpine biota Á
Long-range atmospheric contamination Á Land use change Á Mountain resources
J. Catalan (&)
CREAF - CSIC, Campus UAB, Edifici C, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
e-mail: j.catalan@creaf.uab.cat
J.M. Ninot
Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals,
Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona,
Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
M.M. Aniz
Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici,
Ca de Simamet, C. de les Graieres 2, 25558 Boí, Catalonia, Spain
© The Author(s) 2017
J. Catalan et al. (eds.), High Mountain Conservation in a Changing World,
Advances in Global Change Research 62, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-55982-7_1
3
The High Mountain Conservation
in a Changing World
Jordi Catalan, Josep M. Ninot and M. Mercè Aniz
Abstract The high mountains have retained a noticeable degree of wilderness even
in the most populated regions of the planet. This is the reason why many nature
reserves have been established in these landscapes. Currently, climate change and
long-range transport of contaminants are affecting those protected areas, and thus
conservation priorities may be challenged by these new pressures. In fact, many
high mountains hold a legacy of on-site past human activities (e.g., pasturing,
forestry, mining), which in some areas may partially persist, even increase, whereas
in others are substituted by new uses (e.g., tourism, mountain sport). Therefore,
high mountain nature reserves face a challenging future. The conservation goals
have to be revised. Former alternative paradigms respectively based on the
preservation of wilderness or a traditional cultural landscape will be insufficient.
Indeed, global change provides new goals for the high mountain conservation areas
as suitable places where to study the nature’s response in the absence of, or
combined with, other local pressures. Different branches of sciences may contribute
to inform about the changes; however, conservation is ultimately a societal
endeavour and thus their goals must be linked to the social demand for a fair society
in a sustainable planet. As an added-value to this task, the high mountains hold a
large amount of symbolism.
Keywords Nature reserves Á Climate change Á Landscape shifts Á Alpine biota Á
Long-range atmospheric contamination Á Land use change Á Mountain resources
J. Catalan (&)
CREAF - CSIC, Campus UAB, Edifici C, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
e-mail: j.catalan@creaf.uab.cat
J.M. Ninot
Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals,
Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona,
Diagonal 643, 08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
M.M. Aniz
Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici,
Ca de Simamet, C. de les Graieres 2, 25558 Boí, Catalonia, Spain
© The Author(s) 2017
J. Catalan et al. (eds.), High Mountain Conservation in a Changing World,
Advances in Global Change Research 62, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-55982-7_1
3