butterflies, instead of recognizing that the conservation paradigm provides the roots
in which their activity is grounded.
The planet requires areas (land and sea) in which nature free dynamics can
develop. These areas have to be sufficiently large to be more than an open zoo. On
the other hand, conservation has to facilitate the contact of the citizens with the
natural processes beyond TV shows. Therefore, rather than firm boundaries, a
complex system of progressive zonation with different degrees of human presence
and activities is desirable. The high-mountain landscape is naturally prompt to this
situation. This is the reason why many nature reserves are located there. The
harsher conditions with increasing altitude provide a natural softening of direct
human incidence. However, preserving the highest lands cannot be at the expense
of inhibition about lower areas. Nature conservation is crying for new developments
in science and technology on natural and social fields according to the current
challenging changing times.
Acknowledgements Although the authors are exclusively responsible for the content of this
chapter, they have been largely inspired by the presentations and discussions in the international
workshop on “The High Mountain in a Changing World: Challenges for conservation”, which
took place in Espot (4–6 November, 2015) as part of the activities for the 60th anniversary of the
Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park (Catalan Pyrenees, Spain). The authors
acknowledge Jordi Vicente for the photograph selection and thank the authors for permission to
include them in the chapter. The research projects CUL-PA (ref. 998/2013) and ARBALMONT
(ref. 634S/2012) from the Spanish National Parks research program are also acknowledged.
References
Agnoletti M (2007) The degradation of traditional landscape in a mountain area of Tuscany during
the 19th and 20th centuries: implications for biodiversity and sustainable management. For
Ecol Manag 249:5–17
Anderson L (2012) Rocky Mountain hydroclimate: Holocene variability and the role of insolation,
ENSO, and the North American Monsoon. Glob Planet Change 92–93:198–208
Bacardit M, Krachler M, Camarero L (2012) Whole-catchment inventories of trace metals in soils
and sediments in mountain lake catchments in the Central Pyrenees: apportioning the
anthropogenic and natural contributions. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 82:52–67
Barberan A, Henley J, Fierer N, Casamayor EO (2014) Structure, inter-annual recurrence, and
global-scale connectivity of airborne microbial communities. Sci Total Environ 487:187–195
Bartrons M, Grimalt JO, de Mendoza G, Catalan J (2012) Pollutant dehalogenation capability may
depend on the trophic evolutionary history of the organism: PBDEs in freshwater food webs.
PLoS ONE 7:e41829
Beniston M (2006) Mountain weather and climate: a general overview and a focus on climatic
change in the Alps. Hydrobiologia 562:3–16
Beniston M (2012) Impacts of climatic change on water and associated economic activities in the
Swiss Alps. J Hydrol 412:291–296
Beniston M, Stoffel M (2014) Assessing the impacts of climatic change on mountain water
resources. Sci Total Environ 493:1129–1137
Beniston M, Stoffel M (2016) Rain-on-snow events, floods and climate change in the Alps: events
may increase with warming up to 4 °C and decrease thereafter. Sci Total Environ 571:228–236
28
J. Catalan et al.
in which their activity is grounded.
The planet requires areas (land and sea) in which nature free dynamics can
develop. These areas have to be sufficiently large to be more than an open zoo. On
the other hand, conservation has to facilitate the contact of the citizens with the
natural processes beyond TV shows. Therefore, rather than firm boundaries, a
complex system of progressive zonation with different degrees of human presence
and activities is desirable. The high-mountain landscape is naturally prompt to this
situation. This is the reason why many nature reserves are located there. The
harsher conditions with increasing altitude provide a natural softening of direct
human incidence. However, preserving the highest lands cannot be at the expense
of inhibition about lower areas. Nature conservation is crying for new developments
in science and technology on natural and social fields according to the current
challenging changing times.
Acknowledgements Although the authors are exclusively responsible for the content of this
chapter, they have been largely inspired by the presentations and discussions in the international
workshop on “The High Mountain in a Changing World: Challenges for conservation”, which
took place in Espot (4–6 November, 2015) as part of the activities for the 60th anniversary of the
Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park (Catalan Pyrenees, Spain). The authors
acknowledge Jordi Vicente for the photograph selection and thank the authors for permission to
include them in the chapter. The research projects CUL-PA (ref. 998/2013) and ARBALMONT
(ref. 634S/2012) from the Spanish National Parks research program are also acknowledged.
References
Agnoletti M (2007) The degradation of traditional landscape in a mountain area of Tuscany during
the 19th and 20th centuries: implications for biodiversity and sustainable management. For
Ecol Manag 249:5–17
Anderson L (2012) Rocky Mountain hydroclimate: Holocene variability and the role of insolation,
ENSO, and the North American Monsoon. Glob Planet Change 92–93:198–208
Bacardit M, Krachler M, Camarero L (2012) Whole-catchment inventories of trace metals in soils
and sediments in mountain lake catchments in the Central Pyrenees: apportioning the
anthropogenic and natural contributions. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 82:52–67
Barberan A, Henley J, Fierer N, Casamayor EO (2014) Structure, inter-annual recurrence, and
global-scale connectivity of airborne microbial communities. Sci Total Environ 487:187–195
Bartrons M, Grimalt JO, de Mendoza G, Catalan J (2012) Pollutant dehalogenation capability may
depend on the trophic evolutionary history of the organism: PBDEs in freshwater food webs.
PLoS ONE 7:e41829
Beniston M (2006) Mountain weather and climate: a general overview and a focus on climatic
change in the Alps. Hydrobiologia 562:3–16
Beniston M (2012) Impacts of climatic change on water and associated economic activities in the
Swiss Alps. J Hydrol 412:291–296
Beniston M, Stoffel M (2014) Assessing the impacts of climatic change on mountain water
resources. Sci Total Environ 493:1129–1137
Beniston M, Stoffel M (2016) Rain-on-snow events, floods and climate change in the Alps: events
may increase with warming up to 4 °C and decrease thereafter. Sci Total Environ 571:228–236
28
J. Catalan et al.