ABSTRACT

Mountains are key territories that provide substantial basic resources such as energy, water, and biodiversity, as well as supporting different livelihoods that traditionally coexisted in equilibrium with the environment. In the last few decades the larger part of Southern European mountain societies has been suffering from a process of aging and abandonment causing an imbalance in the ecosystem, with resulting environmental and social effects. The European policy towards these territories has been driven mainly through sectoral policies since the first attempt in 1975 with the CEE Directive 268/75 of Mountain Farming. In some countries, like France or Spain, there were associated regulation efforts to apply integrated mountain programs in the 1980s, seeking a more social and integrated approach towards these territories. This chapter will assess key aspects of one example based on the 1982 Spanish Mountain Agricultural Law. The Oscos-Eo Integral Development Program (1985) was a pilot project applied under the Spanish law with an integrated scope based on the promotion of local participation and seeking funding support from multiple sources.