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A Preliminary Characterisation of the Mountain Area of Europe

Andrew Copus Rural Policy Unit Scottish Agricultural College. Martin Price Centre for Mountain Studies Perth College UHI Millennium Institute. A Preliminary Characterisation of the Mountain Area of Europe. Aim.

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A Preliminary Characterisation of the Mountain Area of Europe

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  1. Andrew Copus Rural Policy Unit Scottish Agricultural College Martin Price Centre for Mountain Studies Perth College UHI Millennium Institute A Preliminary Characterisation of the Mountain Area of Europe

  2. Aim • To prepare a preliminary characterisation of the mountain area of Europe based on available statistical reporting areas and data

  3. Methodology • to identify a European mountain area using consistant criteria that is spatially compatible with existing databases • to undertake a statistical analysis of selected socio-economic variables for this area

  4. Existing national definitions: EU • linked to support for agriculture • altitude ( + slope ) ( + > 62° N ) Total area (excluding Belgium, East Germany, Finland, Ireland): 780,000 km²

  5. Recent statements: mountain regions of the EU • “Some 30% of community territory consists of mountain ranges or massifs” • (European Commission - DG Regional Policy, 2000) • “mountain regions account for about 30% of the land area … in the European Union” • (European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, 2001) • “Mountain areas as % total EU15 surface area: 38.8%” • (Second Report on Economic and Social Cohesion, 2001)

  6. Existing national definitions: non-EU • Minimum altitude • 350 m: Poland • 500 m: Yugoslavia • 600 m: Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Norway • 650 m: Albania, Croatia • 700 m: Czech Republic, Romania

  7. Development of consistent criteria • UNEP – WCMC map (2000) • USGS GTOPO30 altitude database at 1 km² resolution • slope • local elevation range (relief) • 7 km radius • > 300 m elevation change

  8. Europe’s mountain area • 23% (746,321 km²) of EU area is mountainous • 19% of Europe (excluding CIS) is mountainous

  9. Definition of NUTS III mountain regions • UNEP-WCMC map • NUTS III regions • EU and Accession States • Norwegian Fylke • Swiss Cantons • Balkan States • classification of “mountainousness”

  10. Thresholds of mountainousness • Wholly mountainous (>95% within WCMC boundary) • Predominantly mountainous (60-95%) • Partly mountainous (40-59%)

  11. Definition of NUTS III mountain regions >95% within WCMC boundary

  12. Definition of NUTS III mountain regions >60% within WCMC boundary

  13. Definition of NUTS III mountain regions >40% within WCMC boundary

  14. The NUTS III database 1 Mountainousness 2 Area 3 Urban areas 4 Population 5 Population density 6 GDP/capita (purchasing power parity) 3-6 from Eurostat (comparable data for Balkans, NO, CH)

  15. Number of NUTS III regionsby percentage mountain threshold

  16. % of NUTS III regionsby % mountain area threshold

  17. Total area within UNEP-WCMC boundary, (NUTS III regions by % mountain threshold)

  18. Proportion of UNEP-WCMC mountain area within NUTS III regions by threshold

  19. Population of European NUTS III mountain regions

  20. Population densityof European NUTS III mountain regions

  21. GDP 1999 (purchasing power parity)European NUTS III mountain regions

  22. Impact of large towns • >100,000 population (critical mass to affect regional economy) • 114 “NUTS III” regions >40% mountain and with large town • 86 EU regions • 16 CEEC regions • 8 Norwegian / Swiss regions • 4 Balkan states

  23. The impact of large towns

  24. The role of peripherality Source: Schürmann, C., Talaat, A. (2000): Towards a European Peripherality Index. Report for General Directorate XVI Regional Policy of the European Commission, Dortmund, Institut für Raumplanung, Universität Dortmund

  25. Peripherality and Mountainousness: (a) • Peripheral mountain regions are experiencing depopulation

  26. Peripherality and Mountainousness: (b) • Peripheral mountain regions have a lower GDP per capita

  27. Conclusions • The data suggests that mountain regions have some disadvantages hampering socio-economic development relative to lowlands, in terms of: • population • GDP/capita • this relationship is complicated by • peripherality • presence/absence of large towns

  28. Some words of caution: • NUTS III geography is inadequate • size/configuration of regions • little consistency across EU and CEECs (MAUP) • “ecological fallacy” in mixed regions • need for finer-resolution data(e.g. NUTS V?) • lack of harmonised data (even at NUTS III) • few variables • lack of standardisation • need to use national data sources

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