Pyrenees on the table

1995/03/01 Estonba Mintxero, Mikel Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Ekologia

The Working Association of the Pyrenees, formed by all the Autonomous Communities, Regions and States related to the Pyrenees, under the title “The first meetings of the Pyrenees for Development and the Environment”, organized last November a congress on how the future of the Pyrenees should be.

In this congress, in addition to the political technicians and administrations, who have so far been quite marginalized, different collectives (researchers, naturalists, local inhabitants, ecologists, etc.) could participate. that have to do with all the Pyrenean themes in the ten workshops that were prepared for it.

Although the exhaustive analysis of the conclusions drawn from it would be a far greater space than that offered by this opinion section, I would like to highlight the three main points that in my opinion were clear:

• One of the conclusions that reached a total agreement was to treat the Pyrenees mountains as a unit. This demand was heard in the debates of the different workshops and insisted on the need to promote global planning based on serious and lasting cross-border collaborations, overcoming localist and statalist approaches.
• The importance of human resources was another aspect that covered many pages and hours of the congress. In this sense, it can be said without fear that the loss of Pyrenean population in recent years, the way of life that has demonstrated an unbeatable balance with natural resources, is about to disappear and the concern that this generates. It is deeply discussed what steps should be taken to turn this dynamic around, making it clear that the best way to turn things around is to introduce the positive aspects of eternal life and the acceptable improvements of development.
• The immense natural value of the Pyrenees also occupied an important part of the debates. In this sense it should be noted that the infrastructure works (Itoitz, Somport, etc.) that are being implemented and that can be carried out in the future, generate a great concern in all collectives, except in politicians.

The quantity, management and exploitation of Protected Natural Spaces were also controversial issues, as skepticism was imposed on the question of whether the currently declared protected spaces totally protect the natural and ecological heritage of the Pyrenees. Three were the most mentioned when we talked about the necessary measures to improve the current situation: the involvement of the local population in the management of Protected Areas, the homogenization of protection figures throughout the Pyrenees and the need to create biological steps between the protected means to avoid genetic isolation.

And after all this, what?

This is the question I had at the head of many of us who participated in the congress. That is, with what has been discussed these three days, is it enough to turn around the current trend?

I think not, and they are witnesses of it the interventions of representatives of the Spanish and French states in the act of enlargement of the Encounters. It was made clear that they did not give any value to the Work Community of the Pyrenees and it was announced that everyone would act with their own, regardless of the conclusions and decisions made in that forum, which closed the doors to cross-border cooperation before the congress began.

Therefore, we do not expect anything to change as a consequence of this congress, and even more so I would say: I would not be surprised if it were more aggression or used to promote forms of development incompatible with the conservation of natural heritage, since the idea of having hands free among politicians for anything after the congress is widespread.

The Pyrenees need less words and more will.