Livestock and Ecotourism in the Pyrenees
In this article we examine the local uses of the landscape that result on the alternative forms of conservation of natural values in the Catalan Pyrenees, Northeast Spain. In the Pyrenees, an area with numerous protected areas, the conservation of the environment goes beyond state-sanctioned, territorially bounded, projects and initiatives. In these pages we are analyzing the traditional livestock farming practices that are still implemented in the Pyrenees, and local ecotourist ventures that result on conservation or nature enhancing measures. Our aim is to problematize and perhaps even broaden the definition of conservation to include everyday practices that are often overlooked by the mainstream conservationist gaze. The discussion about why some practices are considered conservationists while others are not revolves not only around their ecological soundness as it forces us to analyze issues of power asymmetries, legitimacy, and political economy.