Cross-border dynamics and protected areas in marginal mountain areas. La Terreta (Ribagorça) as a case study

Abstract

This paper raises the issue of cross-border dynamics in a certain area located in the southern Pyrenees, namely La Terreta, which belongs to the historical cross-border region of Ribagorça, between Catalonia and Aragon. Special attention is devoted to the performed protected areas policy. In a context of a deep unstructured and marginal area in the core of the Pre-Pyrenees mountain range, particular spatial problems affected by overlapping borders all over the region are analyzed. The focus is particularly concentrated
on the manifold difficulties to face a consistent and logical land management implementation at the local scale.

Key-words: historical borders, marginality, protected areas, complexity, Ribagorça, La Terreta.