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Agricultural abandonment in mountain areas of Europe: Environmental consequences and policy response
- Source :
- Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of Environmental Management, Elsevier, 2000, 59, pp.47-69
- Publication Year :
- 2000
- Publisher :
- HAL CCSD, 2000.
-
Abstract
- Agricultural abandonment reflects a post war trend in western Europe of rural depopulation to which isolated and poorer areas are most vulnerable. The commercialisation of agriculture, through technological developments, and the influence of Common Agricultural Policy have increased productivity and focused agricultural activity on more fertile and accessible land thus transforming traditional approaches to farming. In many areas this has lead to a decline in traditional labour intensive practices and marginal agricultural land is being abandoned. The problems that these trends create are particularly marked in mountain areas. The social and economic impacts of these changes have been well documented. However, the implications for environmental policy are less well recognised. This paper reviews the literature on abandonment and gives a comparative analysis of European mountain case studies to assess the environmental impacts of land abandonment and decline in traditional farming practices. It finds abandonment is widespread and that, while the influence of environmental changes is unpredictable due to environmental, agricultural and socio-economic contextual factors, abandonment generally has an undesirable effect on the environmental parameters examined. The application of agri-environment policy measures in relation to abandonment is discussed and suggestions for future policy are proposed.
- Subjects :
- Environmental Engineering
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
Natural resource economics
[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]
010501 environmental sciences
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
01 natural sciences
[SHS]Humanities and Social Sciences
Environmental protection
Agricultural land
media_common.cataloged_instance
Agricultural policy
Environmental impact assessment
Economic impact analysis
European union
Waste Management and Disposal
ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
media_common
PERTE DE LA BIODIVERSITE
2. Zero hunger
business.industry
General Medicine
15. Life on land
[SDV] Life Sciences [q-bio]
Geography
13. Climate action
Agriculture
Abandonment (emotional)
[SHS] Humanities and Social Sciences
business
Common Agricultural Policy
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 03014797 and 10958630
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Environmental Management, Journal of Environmental Management, Elsevier, 2000, 59, pp.47-69
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....239fd5ab1a0eba332887a7c5a1b31ca6