Abstract ID: 3.11959 | Accepted as Poster | Requested as: Talk | TBA | TBA

Before the enactment of the Catalan Mountain Law 9/1983, mountain regions in Catalonia faced severe infrastructural, demographic, economic, and social challenges. The harsh geography and climate contributed to inadequate communication networks, deficient collective facilities, significant population decline, low socioeconomic development, and minimal income levels, leading to human and cultural impoverishment. Although this law achieved substantial progress in balancing the quality of life, contemporary environmental, social, and economic challenges demand a new place-sensitive approach to innovative policies. Here, we explore the implications of a new legislative framework to stimulate innovation and sustainable development in Catalonia’s high mountain regions, the new Law for the Catalan High Mountain Regions. The law introduces “strategic actions” and the establishment of an observatory. The functions of the Mountain Observatory include the detection of actions of interest, drawing up the proposal for a six-year strategic action plan, coordinating the execution of these strategic actions, most of them being interdepartmental, coordinating the governance spaces established by the Law, and monitoring the actions that are being carried out within the framework of the Pyrenees Strategy. The Mountain Observatory will result from the cooperation between representatives of the quadruple helix (governments, businesses, academia, and citizens) to enhance local governance. As an inclusive observatory, it aims at exemplifying the power of grassroots initiatives arising from a bottom-up approach. Thus, inclusion will be central to the Observatory’s strategy, actively involving all stakeholders in implementing policies and solutions that promote territorial balance. Innovation will also be a driving force, breaking incorrect myths and stereotypes and creating a Pyrenean narrative that includes significant issues to guide future policies. Based on the knowledge generated, the Observatory will evaluate sectoral public policies applied to high mountain territories and closely monitor the execution and impact of actions included in the Strategic Action Plan. This will foster a sustainable future benefiting both the region and the broader territory, positioning the mountain area as a pioneer in cutting-edge practices.