Social and Ecological History of the Pyrenees: State, Market, and Landscape

The Pyrenees are the focus of this micro study of the interaction among the environment, indigenous societies and outside developers and governments. Vaccaro (anthropology and environment, McGill University) and Beltran (social anthropology, Universitat de Barcelona) have collected studies covering the length of the Pyrenees in both Spain and France along with two from other areas of those countries as comparison. Each article looks at a particular place or issue. The depopulation of the twentieth century put ancient occupations, particularly cattle and sheep raising, at risk. Now these are further threatened by ski resorts, tourists and even environmental protection groups. The frustration felt by all sides is clearly and evenly shown. The formation of the European Union with its new regulations has added another element. Taken as a whole, the often unpredicted ramifications of one change on an entire area are demonstrated. For instance, introducing native bears and foreign tourists may be good for the ecology and economy but both are a disaster for livestock farmers. Similar studies of other areas facing these changes would help participants to make more informed decisions. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) More