Land-use changes and sustainable development in mountain areas: a case study in the Spanish Pyrenees

摘要: Land-use changes affecting Mediterranean mountains represent the intensification of use in valley bottoms, accompanied by land-use conflicts, and a generalized abandonment hillslopes, which past were perfectly integrated system land management. Farmland abandonment, reforestation, diminution livestock pressure substitution cereal crops meadows are most outstanding features recent changes. The question is whether new spatial organisation accordance with longterm policy sustainable development mountain areas. results obtained confirm that farmland on steep slopes — resulting colonization old fields dense shrub cover afforestation contribute to control both soil erosion surface runoff. As result some important rivers alluvial fans have recently stabilized their sedimentary structures.