In November 2024, news broke that the Senate (of Italy – Ed.) had approved a new National Mountain Law, which the government and parliament have been working on for years [1].

The initiative is certainly valuable, as it brings attention to mountain areas — a type of territory that often doesn’t make it onto national political agendas, which tend to focus on issues with broader popular appeal. These agendas often address more densely populated areas, where public response is stronger, and, as a result, the issues at hand seem more urgent.

Yet the mountains — the so-called “High Lands” — are a prominent part of Italian territory. Consider that over 4,000 of nearly 8,000 municipalities in the country are classified as mountain municipalities (according to a historic legislative classification from 1952), and these areas account for 49% of the nation’s total land area [2].

However, it is undeniable that these areas have a rather sparse population, with residents making up less than 19% of the national total. These regions are characterized by highly fragmented settlements and low population densities [3].

Regardless of the socio-economic importance of any legislative action in support of citizens, wherever they may reside, a specific law for the High Lands is essential to manage the close, indissoluble bond between mountain dwellers and their land. This, in fact, is the major difference between policies aimed at cities or rural areas and those directed at mountain regions.

Protecting and enhancing mountain communities not only benefits the residents but also generates positive externalities for the entire surrounding area — much more so than in urban contexts. And these two aspects have always gone hand in hand. The abandonment of mountain areas is not only a social or economic issue; it leads to ecological desolation with serious consequences, of which there are countless and often well-known examples.

The abandonment of mountain areas leads to the neglect of forested lands. Where centuries of forestry, meadow and pasture management, and livestock farming shaped a typical anthropogenic landscape, the return of unmanaged forests results in unstable ecosystems, aging woodlands, and neglected hydraulic structures and roads. To nature itself, of course, this poses no problem. Nature reclaims what is of its own, often through processes still largely unknown to us. Avalanches, mudslides, flash floods, rockfalls, and fires do not irreparably disrupt the larger forest system; in fact, they are part of it. The problem, however, is that below those forests lie our towns, our homes, and our fields. Our perception of danger is completely opposite to that of nature. Nature, in one way or another, always prevails — but we do not!

We need to carefully manage our surroundings without falling into the trap of thinking that nature will take care of itself, as it often does — but not always to our benefit. When we’re shocked by the increasing frequency of natural disasters and compare them with the past, we don’t always realize that, in that past, our connection with the land was much more active and attentive. Back then, even if sometimes out of mere survival needs or recklessness, we knew how to engage with our environment.

Fig. 1: Sign in the forest: “THE FOREST DOES NOT NEED MAN; IT IS MAN WHO NEEDS THE FOREST”. Parco SelvArt, Mezzaselva di Roana – Altopiano di Asiago (Vicenza, Italy). Photo: Author. 03.07.2022

The clearing of waterways, maintenance of trails and roads, cleaning of underbrush and thorny areas, removal of dangerous trees, and mowing of meadows are all actions that, even if performed with purposes other than public benefit, inevitably result in it.

Excess biomass in forests — such as standing dry wood, fallen branches, dense shrubs, and overcrowded trees — creates ideal conditions for the spread of fires. Failure to clear or install drainage systems along forest roads leads to heavy water runoff that inevitably flows downstream. The failure to remove hazardous, old, or unhealthy trees presents a potential risk of falling during each storm, affecting roads, trails, and waterways.

This is where a Mountain Law is essential, as it can pave the way for comprehensive land management by incentivizing life in these areas.

Unlike in the past, when life in the mountains was often an obligation dictated by birth and something to escape as soon as possible, today it can — and should — also be a choice. A choice to return, for those who come from the mountains but left in search of something better. A choice to stay, for those who already live there. A choice to change, for those looking for something new. But all of this must be supported by real opportunities to live in the valleys, which translates into a need for specific welfare services, personalized social services, differentiated tax policies, digital infrastructure, accessibility, and community-building initiatives[1].

An example? The implementation of payments for Ecosystem Services, which are essentially the benefits nature provides to humanity, whether by direct or indirect intent. For instance, if preserving potable water sources and preventing hydrogeological instability must necessarily take place in mountain regions, then a portion of the water tariffs paid downstream should be fairly redistributed to benefit the areas from which that water originates. The same principle applies to timber harvesting, mushroom foraging, recreational use of forests, and any other function directly tied to mountain areas.

All of this leads to a re-centering of mountain areas to combat the depopulation and cultural, social, economic, and ecological abandonment that the High Lands have suffered over the past century. The goal is to foster concrete, effective, and forward-looking outcomes that benefit these territories and their current and future residents.

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Cover- and preview image: The maintenance of forest roads is essential for the safety and accessibility of the area. Malga Fiaretta silvopastoral road, Gallio – Altopiano di Asiago (Vicenza, Italy). Photo: Author. 25.09.2024