Mountain areas as menageries

This issue of the Journal of Alpine Research features "mountain areas as menageries". Indeed the decline in biodiversity is a major ecological problem. At the same time populations of large wild animals are on the increase in the mountain areas of Europe, America and Africa due to the preservation of species and regions, the re-introduction of wild animals, and the exodus of farming communities. The publication looks at the various aspects of this paradoxical situation. For instance the re-introduction of the ostrich in the Aïr Massif (Niger) is described as an opportunity to harmonise ecological issues with regional cultural and economic development. Other sections include the role of the mouflon for the tourism and hunting industries in France's Caroux Massif and a Swedish study on the interest of tourism enterprises in wolves as a new resource. The magazine also discusses the opposition and conflicts that have emerged as a result of the increase in the numbers of large wild animals, and shows how political approaches fluctuate between an eco-centric and a socio-centric view.