measures (Garrard et al. 2016). Indeed, rapid economic development related to the
climatic shifts may be faster changing the landscape than the vegetation natural
response. Projections of climate change effects on nature reserves should include
potential new economic scenarios in the region.
1.3.2 Conservation Versus Extraction
Through history, the high mountains have been regarded and used by humans as a
source of goods (timber, rangeland, hydropower, fishing, etc.), with the particularity
of being a space marginal to the permanent human habitat. Thus, being strongly
subject to seasonality, human settlements have been placed for most time at low
altitudes [but see Pèlachs et al. (2017)]. In contrast with other exploited ecosystems,
high mountain apparently maintained a high degree of wilderness, to some extent
Fig. 1.4 Sheep flock in the Vall d’Àssua (Pyrenees). Enhancement of high altitude pasturing
meadows lowering the treeline may have lasted for several millennia in many mountain ranges of
the world. This practice had to have ecological and also evolutionary implications, which are still
scarcely understood. The current socio-economic context of the mountains is changing the land
use. This driver of ecological shifts is still stronger than climate change in many regions.
Conservation requires distinguishing between the two drivers and eventually understanding their
interaction (Pèlachs et al. 2017). Photography: Jordi Peró, Archive of the Aigüestortes i Estany de
Sant Maurici National Park
1 The High Mountain Conservation in a Changing World
13
climatic shifts may be faster changing the landscape than the vegetation natural
response. Projections of climate change effects on nature reserves should include
potential new economic scenarios in the region.
1.3.2 Conservation Versus Extraction
Through history, the high mountains have been regarded and used by humans as a
source of goods (timber, rangeland, hydropower, fishing, etc.), with the particularity
of being a space marginal to the permanent human habitat. Thus, being strongly
subject to seasonality, human settlements have been placed for most time at low
altitudes [but see Pèlachs et al. (2017)]. In contrast with other exploited ecosystems,
high mountain apparently maintained a high degree of wilderness, to some extent
Fig. 1.4 Sheep flock in the Vall d’Àssua (Pyrenees). Enhancement of high altitude pasturing
meadows lowering the treeline may have lasted for several millennia in many mountain ranges of
the world. This practice had to have ecological and also evolutionary implications, which are still
scarcely understood. The current socio-economic context of the mountains is changing the land
use. This driver of ecological shifts is still stronger than climate change in many regions.
Conservation requires distinguishing between the two drivers and eventually understanding their
interaction (Pèlachs et al. 2017). Photography: Jordi Peró, Archive of the Aigüestortes i Estany de
Sant Maurici National Park
1 The High Mountain Conservation in a Changing World
13