Obstacles and Opportunities for Mountain Development in Andalusia (Spain) Author(s): David J. Moscoso Source: Mountain Research and Development, 26(1):81-83. Published By: International Mountain Society DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1659/0276-4741(2006)026[0081:OAOFMD]2.0.CO;2 URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/0276-4741%282006%29026%5B0081%3AOAOFMD %5D2.0.CO%3B2 BioOne (www.bioone.org) is a nonprofit, online aggregation of core research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences. BioOne provides a sustainable online platform for over 170 journals and books published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses. Your use of this PDF, the BioOne Web site, and all posted and associated content indicates your acceptance of BioOne’s Terms of Use, available at www.bioone.org/page/terms_of_use. Usage of BioOne content is strictly limited to personal, educational, and non-commercial use. Commercial inquiries or rights and permissions requests should be directed to the individual publisher as copyright holder. BioOne sees sustainable scholarly publishing as an inherently collaborative enterprise connecting authors, nonprofit publishers, academic institutions, research libraries, and research funders in the common goal of maximizing access to critical research. 76 Mountain Partnership Explores the Promise of Broadband This current Mountain Partnership able mountain development—have band application in mountains, to activity looks into the potentials of recently joined together to start assess to what extent broadband broadband technology for reducing the assessing the potential of broad- technologies could support the digital divide and promoting develop- band communication technology to development of mountain commu- ment in mountain areas. It is related to provide rapid, cost-effective and nities, and to assess the priorities Millennium Development Goal 8 (vi), efficient connectivity for the world’s and main needs of mountain com- namely: “to develop a global partnership mountains. Broadband is the com- munities, in terms of information for development... in cooperation with mon term for a high bandwidth and communications. Research is the private sector, make available the Internet connection—one that also focusing on what FAO and benefits of new technologies—especially allows to transmit or download other UN agencies are doing to information and communication tech- information up to 40 times as fast as promote such communication nologies.” a standard telephone and mode, technologies in mountain areas of and can be applied to a variety of the world. The study will also assess In an era of global communication communications including broad- the constraints and opportunities and interconnectedness, many cast and cable television, wireless of applying broadband communi- mountain regions—particularly in phones, Web access, instant messag- cation technology in one of the developing world and in coun- ing for real-time communication, Europe’s largest mountain tries in transition—still have inade- information sharing (including regions—the Carpathians. Encom- quate access (or no access at all) exchanging data and files) and e- passing 7 countries (the Czech to communication infrastructures, mail. Republic, Hungary, Poland, Roma- services, and facilities. Yet modern Mountain Partnership member nia, Serbia and Montenegro, Slova- communication technologies, EasyLan is a private sector satellite kia, and Ukraine), the Carpathians when systematically applied and telecommunication company, based are a major ecological, economic, adapted to local conditions in in Italy, which plans and develops cultural, recreational, and living mountain areas, could be catalysts digital integrated systems that allow environment in the heart of for lasting development and social communities to benefit from band- Europe. In recent years, mountain change. Low-cost networked infor- width telecommunications and people in the Carpathians have mation and communication tech- services at reasonable prices experienced profound changes nologies, such as the Internet, throughout the world. In the con- and challenges, given their coun- could promote political and com- text of the Mountain Partnership, tries’ recent transition to a market munity participation, increase EasyLan has teamed up with Italian economy, the increasing integra- working opportunities, dissemi- academic institutions (University tion of civil society, and dynamic nate information, and share LUISS Guido Carli, the University economic development. It is clear knowledge and skills. Just as of Tor Vergata), the Food and Agri- that access to adequate communi- importantly satellite technology culture Organization (FAO), the cation facilities and services is a could provide social services, such Interim Secretariat for the pre-condition for the sustainable as health care and education, on a Carpathian Convention (United development of these mountain cost-effective basis. Today, the Nations Environmental Program, communities. costs of communication technolo- UNEP), and the Mountain Partner- This current Mountain Part- gies are falling while their per- ship Secretariat to prepare a feasi- nership activity builds on a special formance is improving at a phe- bility study that will explore the roundtable discussion on the sub- nomenal rate. So how do we tap potential of using broadband tech- ject of broadband for mountain the potential of these communica- nologies for sustainable mountain development at the Second Global tion technologies to connect and development. Meeting of the Mountain Partner- develop the world’s mountain The four-month study, coordi- ship, or “Cusco Conference” (Cus- regions? nated by the Mountain Partnership co, Peru, 28–29 October 2004). It Now, members of the Mountain Secretariat (at FAO Headquarters is just one of the many joint activi- Partnership—the voluntary alliance in Rome), aims to understand the ties on common areas of interest of countries, IGOs, NGOs and the economic and technical prerequi- currently being undertaken by private sector committed to sustain- sites and the conditions for broad- members of the Mountain Partner- Mountain Research and Development Vol 26 No 1 Feb 2006 MountainNotes 77 ship to improve the lives and Jane Ross livelihoods of mountain people Communications Officer, Mountain Partner- ship Secretariat, Food and Agriculture Organi- and protect mountain environ- zation of the United Nations (FAO), Viale delle ments around the world. Visit the Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy. Mountain Partnership Web site at: [email protected] www.mountainpartnership.org. www.mountainpartnership.org The Altai Assistance Project The Altai Republic, known as “the some after flying into the nearest owned; the largely open, unfenced Switzerland of Russia” (http://eng. large city of Barnaul from European landscape facilitates easy access; altai-republic.ru/), is located on the Russia. Outside of some establish- and “pack it in, pack it out” camp- southwestern edge of Siberia, in the ments along the principal river, the ing ethics are unknown to most Russian portion of the Altai-Sayan Katun, there are as yet few facilities people. range which continues into Kaza- or designated areas for tourists, Dealing with the natural and khstan, China, and Mongolia. It is a whose numbers are now sufficient social effects of the rapid growth of spectacularly beautiful, unspoiled, and to have an impact on the natural tourism, as well as the impending undeveloped land of forests, open environment as well as the cultural privatization of land, are the pri- rangeland, and mountain peaks up to heritage of the local people. Com- mary concerns of the Republic and 4500 m. In 1998, 5 separate nature plicating matters are the facts that local-level planning authorities. sites of the Altai Republic were Russian citizens are entitled to One of the strategies under devel- inscribed by UNESCO as a World Her- roam at will because all land is state opment is the establishment of itage Site known as the “Golden Moun- tains of Altai.” About 22% of the FIGURE 1 Chulyshman River Valley, showing a new road facilitating increased tourist access. (Photo by Matt Foley) Republic’s 92,900 km2 is in Russian federally protected areas, either as zapovedniki (strict nature preserves, where no human use is ordinarily allowed) or zakazniki (less strictly pro- tected recreational areas). The Altai’s 200,000 inhabitants have long been among the poorest in Russia. About 70% of the population is Russian, while about 30% is of Turkic and oth- er native origins, concentrated in the mountainous areas nearest the south- ern borders. Agriculture, mostly in the form of livestock raising, is the primary occupation. With the disappearance in 1991 of Soviet-era domestic travel restric- tions and the explosion in private automobile ownership, mass tourism has now come to the Altai, which is within a day’s drive of at least 5 million inhabitants of the industrial cities on the west Siberian plain just to the north. Tens of thousands of tourists arrive annual- ly, many in cars (Figure 1). Others come on public and private buses, 78 “Nature Parks” in particularly sen- visited the Altai in July 2004, with the Altai Republic, both in and out- sitive areas. Like the Adirondack each member of the team having a side of park areas, over the next 5 Park in the United States, these are particular field of expertise relating years. This particular five-year parks with people living in them to