Even development in mountain areas:

a case study from the Dolomites.

Strategic Spatial Planning

Professor Pieter Van den Broeck

Sofia Marzolo 2020-2021

sofia.marzolo@student.kuleuven.be Word Count: 5123
Summary
Introduction 3

Theoretical framework 4

Methodology 6

1 | The broad picture: development in mountain areas 6

1.1.| Actors 6
1.2 | Contextual elements 8
1.3 | Common struggles of mountain areas 9
1.4 | Tourism, a double-sided phenomenon 10

2 | The case study: Zoldo valley, challenges and opportunities 11

2.1 | Contextual elements 11
2.2 | Analysis of tourism trajectories 13
2.3 | Non tourism-based explored trajectories to improve development 14

Discussion 16
Integrated tourism models 16
Local development trajectories 17

Conclusion 18

Bibliography and empirical data 19

Websites consulted 20

2
Introduction
In 1919, the Italian politician Meuccio Ruini said “if the sea, rising slightly over its current
level, was to cover that gulf of land that is the Po valley, Italy would be one only big
mountain”1 (Barbera, 2020).

Mountains represent in Italy a peculiar territory that is far from being negligible. Local
decision-makers play an important role in determining the trajectories of development of
single territories. Naturally, their action is also influenced by a number of factors, like
geographic position, climatic and environmental characteristics, connections, territorial
morphology and organization, economic, social and cultural aspects, etc. Mass tourism is
often the main, if not the only source of economic development for mountain regions.
However, the trends in the last decades have shown a disenchantment regarding mass
tourism activities, which had to face climate change, increased economic costs, increased
competition and in the last year and a half, Covid-19 pandemics.

Communities, local decision-makers, academics, tourism facilities are today largely

supporting alternatives towards development trajectories that are not necessarily
tourism-based. This not only to secure local economies but also to tackle other issues that
are quite common to mountain areas: unemployment, depopulation, poor access to services,
as well as environmental matters like land cover and land use changes, resource
exploitation.

This paper aims at analyzing trajectories for a development in remote mountain areas that is
environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. The research question that will be
explored is the following: Which alternatives to mass tourism can be a trigger for even and
sustainable development in remote mountain areas? Collectively defined socio-spatial
interventions and local policies from different areas will be analyzed, to build an
understanding of the current trajectories of development, their “good” and “bad” aspects,
their place specificity and their transferability. The case of Zoldo valley will be presented to
provide a concrete and informed example of place-based interventions. Zoldo is a charming
valley in the Veneto region, in the North East of Italy. It presents all the characteristics that
have been highlighted as common to the Alpine region and that will be discussed later.
Strategies for development adopted by the Zoldo valley will be briefly analyzed according to
their effectiveness in answering the specific needs of the context. Reflections on the
potential improvement of local planning will be developed.

1
“Se il mare, alzandosi di pochi metri, ricoprisse quel golfo di terra che è la val Padana, l'Italia
sarebbe una sola e grande montagna”. (Meuccio Ruini, as in Barbera, 2020)

3
The research will start by presenting the considered theoretical framework and the
methodology used. A chapter about the broad picture on development in mountain areas will
follow, which will include a presentation of the involved actors, historical, territorial, economic
and social contextual elements, a focus on the struggles of mountain areas and tourism as
the privileged resource for development. The case study of Zoldo valley will then be
presented in the second chapter, also including contextual elements, a focus on tourism and
an overview of alternative trajectories of development. In the discussion, the theory will be
combined with practical examples to find out which elements might best contribute to even
and sustainable development for remote mountain areas.

Theoretical framework

Sustainable development in mountain areas is a complex topic that involves, as it was

previously said, several different theoretical concepts and angles of analysis. Due to the
limits of the research, this theoretical framework will not address all of those aspects, but it
will try to include as many angles as possible to properly frame the topic.

Sustainable development has been described by the World Commission on Environment

and Development (WCED) in the 1987 Report “Our Common Future” as: “development that
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs”. It is composed of four elements: society, environment, culture and
economy, which are all very relevant to this research. The concept of development gives
an idea of process, evolution on a temporal scale, which will be stressed when diving
into the topic of interest of this research. Among the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), in reason of its complexity, the researched topic falls under several targets of
the Agenda 2030:

SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth. This includes fighting unemployment, reducing
youth work-led displacement, promoting sustainable tourism (Target 8.9: devise and implement
policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.)

SDG 10 - Reducing inequalities (within countries),

SDG 11 - Making human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (11.4:
Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage, 11.a: Support
positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by
strengthening national and regional development planning)

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 SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (13.1: Strengthen
resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards)

SDG 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems (15.4: By
2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to
enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development)

Sustainable Development is to be pursued through strategic planning, intended as

change-oriented interventions. Such interventions should go beyond the traditional decision
making approach and towards collective problematization and social innovation. Both these
concepts involve a multi-actor and multi-layer approach, where all stakeholders are included
in problem analysis, territorial and activity planning (De Blust, Van den Broeck, 2019).
Collective problematization is the first step for the bottom-up empowerment of local actors
left outside the agenda setting. It is somehow the prerequisite for social innovation, which
consists in the elaboration of “powerful, theoretically and empirically informed ideas” that
lead to the creation of sustainable place-specific interventions (Moulaert, F., MacCallum, D.,
2019). Involvement and empowerment of local people in place-based interventions can have
several positive outcomes: not only it brings on the public arena empirically relevant opinions
(Ibid) and helps to address socioeconomic concrete needs (Swyngedouw, 2002) but
including people in participatory processes can also help reinforce territorial and community
attachment (Pollini, 2005).

In the context of this research, community-based planning can also be declined in

community-based tourism. Community-based tourism is a branch of sustainable tourism that
counts several successful applications. It is based on the share of costs and benefits coming
from touristic activities, the sharing of good practices and material resources within a
community (Okazaki, 2008). Naturally, the applicability of such an approach is much
dependent on the community composition, context and willingness to cooperate. As we will
see more in detail when the Alpine context will be presented, this might be an asset to
protect people from setbacks, instead of perpetuating competition dynamics that likely result
in a lose-lose result.

Indeed, one aspect that is particularly pressing today is that of resilience. Mountain
communities and territories have strongly been impacted by Covid-19 pandemics, which has
shown the limits of current privileged development trajectories. Resilience to external
changes, like Covid-19, can be described as the “ability to absorb change and disturbance in
a timely manner and still maintain its ongoing functions” (Paidakaki, 2021). Resilience is an
essential element for all human settlements that are confronted with the consequences of

5
human-induced environmental changes. It is a wide concept that involves economics,
territorial planning, social and cultural ability to cope with changes.

Methodology
The theoretical framework has been based on academic literature. For information on the
development of mountain areas, scientific literature was also explored, along with reports of
conferences, organizations that operate in this field, presentation of local strategies
implemented in mountain areas. The choice of the sources was guided by the availability of
information and also to have a broad, multi-approach and informed view on the topic.
Information about European, national and regional statistics, legislations and regulations
come from official documents, governmental websites and agencies. Qualitative and
quantitative data about the Zoldo valley case-study comes from local sources such as local
institutions’ websites and data sources, newspapers, books, policy documents, historical
archives.

1 | The broad picture: development in mountain areas

Development, as already said, is a very broad term, which could be misleading if the need
here was to assess a specific trajectory of development. However, the intention of this
chapter is rather to have a broad overview of the elements that have characterized the
evolution of societies, economies and territories in the Alpine region. Indeed, many
characteristics allow us to consider this region as a whole, although there are of course
peculiar elements that complexify the picture in the single contexts.

An important element that has been introduced in the conceptual framework is that of
development as a process that involves changes on a temporal scale (Van den Broeck,
2021). Addressing development thus is also addressing the (recent) history of a territory and
the collateral events that have participated in shaping it up to the current status. Addressing
the past transformations is essential to understand and foresee not only the future evolutions
but also the strategies that can be put into practice to direct the course of the events in a
sense that we want to be more sustainable and even.

1.1.| Actors

Several actors interact in the Alpine context, the needs, costs and benefits and involvement
of each should be considered - and possibly integrated - when planning interventions.

6
Political decision-making at different scales can have an impact on local contexts. For
instance, European, national and regional legislations, regulations or allocations of funds can
influence the political agenda and prioritization of needs (national Digital Agenda Law2), can
encourage networking among different areas or actors (Interregional project CLLD - Dolomiti
Live, funded by the European Regional Development Fund3), or even change the
morphology, demography and territorial composition of an area (Emilia-Romagna Regional
Fund for the purchase of first homes in mountain areas4). There is thus a component of
vertical, top-down influence on local strategic planning. On the other hand, local institutions
are in between vertical and horizontal dynamics: vertical, because as decision makers they
are in a power position; horizontal, because in local contexts, like remote mountain
municipalities, there is typically a closer relation between decision makers and citizens. This
research aims at exploring the extent to which this horizontal dynamic can be encouraged
and enriched to build a community-based approach.

Citizens are crucial actors in local contexts. Not only their needs should be a primary
concern of policies, but they can and should contribute in their elaboration, by reason of their
familiarity with the context and its specific characteristics. Another actor that is virtually part
of the arena is the “potential” citizens or “people to come” (Hillier, 2007: 232 in
De Blust, Van den Broeck, 2019); in areas where, as we will see in detail, there is a need for
repopulation, it is important to address the elements that could encourage the arrival of new
inhabitants and their permanence in a sustainable way.

Economic actors also play an important role. Mass tourism creates power relations that are
often intertwined with the economic relevance of actors. Although often the economic
interests reflect largely those of the local inhabitants - who work in seasonal tourism-related
activities -, the ultimate economic power is up to a limited number of capitalists who own
touristic facilities, ski slopes etc. Economic dynamics have to be addressed from a
sustainability point of view and there is a need to go beyond neoliberal economic
development schemes (Swyngedouw, 2002).

1.2 | Contextual elements

According to the Italian National Statistic Institute (ISTAT), more than one third of the country
is classified as mountain territory. Only 12% of the population lives in mountain areas, listing

2
Digital Agenda Law, 2020
3
CLLD Dolomiti Live
4
Montagna, prima casa giovani coppie, famiglie, singoli under 40: da Regione fino a 30mila euro per
acquisto o ristrutturazione

7
mountain territories among the country’s less populated areas, with peaks of 5-15
inhabitants per square kilometer in semi-desert mountain areas, which represent one fifth of
the country territory (ISTAT, 2019; Dematteis, G., 2020). Italian Alps cover a surface of 51
941 square kilometers over seven Italian regions, making up around 40% of their territories
(ISTAT, 2019).

Mountain territories are poorly represented in regional and national politics since Italian
electoral systems are largely based on basins of equal population density for representative
elections. This despite the Italian Constitution stating that “national laws must include
measures in favor of mountain areas”5. At the time the Constitution was written, this resulted
in a welfarist approach, seeing mountain areas as underdeveloped and in need of
assistance (Dematteis, G., 2020). In the
last years, some new laws have helped
reduce certain gaps that mountain
areas suffer from: Green Economy
(2015), Small Commons (2017),
Forestry (2018), Digital Agenda
(2020)6. A National Strategy for Internal
Areas (SNAI) was also founded to
restore forgotten areas7. As it can be
seen in the map taken from the SNAI
official website, 19 of the 72 selected
areas are located in the Alpine region,
and most of the rest in other mountain
territories (Appennini). However, the
elimination of the institutional organ of
Mountain Communities8 represented a
step back in the recognition of the relevance of these polycentric territories and their
self-determination (Dematteis, G., 2020, Barbera, 2020).

5
“La legge dispone provvedimenti a favore delle zone montane” (Art 44, Italian Constitution).
6
Green Economy Law, 2015
Small Commons Law, 2017
Forestry Law, 2018
7
Strategia Nazionale Aree Interne (SNAI)
8
Decree for the elimination of Mountain Communities

8
1.3 | Common struggles of mountain areas

Most Alpine areas face a constant depopulation, which results both from an aging population
and emigration. SNAI calculated the distance of remote areas from essential services: those
considered as far represent 60% of territories, 52% of commons and 22% of the country
population (Barbera, 2020). Remoteness, lack of infrastructures, services and working
opportunities make emigration the preferred choice for local young people (Dematteis, G.,
2020). In the map, the demographic variations in the Alpine region for the period 2002-2009
are visible (Source: Eurac Institute, Bolzano).

Depopulation also results in the abandonment or loss of cultural, building and landscape
heritage. Certain areas that have long hosted villages, shepherds’ cottages, human and
animal shelters on the transhumance routes are today abandoned, and with them the
traditional practices and communities’ history. In many semi or near-abandoned villages,
some houses have been reconverted into tourist facilities.

There are nevertheless some phenomena of repopulation that in the last years slowed down
the trends in certain areas. New mountain inhabitants start to migrate from cities looking for
lifestyles that are more in contact with nature. This has been observed particularly with the
Covid-19 pandemics and was made easier by the increased use of smart work (Dematteis,

9
G., 2020). Young mountain people also increasingly turn to careers that are compatible with
and valorize local resources. Innovative paths have been traced at several levels: one
example - unsuccessful but still emblematic - comes from the Technological Wood Center
(CTL) also known as the “Wood University”, a failed project that was born in 2015 in
Poschiavo, in the Swiss Alps, with the aim of training professionals of the wood industry that
flourish in the area, with a sustainable approach9. Of 140 000 asylum seekers hosted in Italy
in dedicated centers, 40% were located in mountain areas (Alps and Appennini). Economic
migrants are also a considerable presence in Alpine areas, where they are around 400 000.
In some cases, their presence has helped reactivate some economic sectors that had long
suffered from lack of labor force like wood production, small scale breeding, territorial
maintenance and protection (Massariolo, 2019). Agitu Ideo Gudeta, Ethiopian political
refugee, founded a goat breeding farm in Trentino region, to restore the traditional artisanal
production in the area in a sustainable way and protect the local goat breed that was facing
extinction10.

1.4 | Tourism, a double-sided phenomenon

From the 1950s to the 1990s, in many areas, development has been based quite exclusively
on mass tourism. The 90s marked a first, important change with the beginning of severe
climate changes that impacted economically the snow-based mass tourism (Dematteis, M.,
2020). According to the environmental organizations WWF (2013) and Legambiente (2019),
in the Alps temperatures are increasing at a double rate than the world average. In the
following decades, the economic trends of profit from winter tourism remained negative, but
in many areas no alternatives were explored and mass tourism continued to be chased as a
mirage of economic prosperity. Even today, tourism is often the main if not the only economic
activity in Alpine areas. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), it accounts
for 50 billion euros per year and employs 10-12% of the total population of the Alpine area.
This approach of “touristic monoculture11” has several negative consequences. On the
environmental side, let alone the impact that mass tourism has on the natural environment,
which has been widely explored12 (Casanova, 2020), climate changes have led to the failure
and abandonment of skiing stations located at insufficiently high altitudes to have natural
snow. Given the high dependency of mountain tourism on natural characteristics, it is hard
9
Apre il Centro Tecnologico del Legno (CTL) a Poschiavo
Università del legno a Poschiavo, avviato il fallimento
10
Agitu Ideo Gudeta was killed on 29th December 2020. Her successful model of positive social,
cultural and territorial integration will remain an example. Here the website of her goat farm: Agitu
Azienda Agricola Bio La Capra Felice
11
The term “touristic monocultures”, introduced in the Mountain Wilderness report, gives an idea of
the development model that has been followed by many Alpine regions until today.
12
ALPI E TURISMO (WWF), Gli impatti ambientali dell'industria dello sci (Mountain Wilderness)

10
today to find sufficient snow covers to ensure an economically fruitful skiing season.
Mountain Wilderness created an impressive mapping of abandoned skiing facilities in the
Alpine regions of Piemonte, Lombardia and Friuli13.

In addition to economic losses, this model encouraged a frequentation of mountain areas

limited to high tourist seasons (summer and winter), with long periods of reduced activity in
between. This results in low awareness of life rhythms of mountain communities and the
environment by tourists and visitors. By determining seasonal variations in the employment
offer, it represents a concurrent cause of migrations and unemployment. Finally, mass
tourism is also dependent on fashion trends, which can determine the temporary success of
one area or another, in a quite aleatory way (Dematteis, M., 2020).

The Covid-19 pandemics draw attention to the high vulnerability of the tourist sector. The ski
business generates in Italy around 20 billion euro per year. In 2020, Confturismo estimated
that the losses of this sector due to the pandemics were about 8 billion euros, and this only
because the lockdown in Italy started after the Carnival holidays when most people use to
spend some days in the mountains. Estimates of the 2021 economic losses are still hard to
find. Mountain areas must reduce their dependence on mass tourism-based development
and evolve towards a multi-sectoral, long-term effective and sustainable approach, able to
include tourism among other activities in a more diverse development plan.

2 | The case study: Zoldo valley, challenges and opportunities

2.1 | Contextual elements

Zoldo valley is situated in the North-East of Italy, in the Veneto

region. It is located in the Dolomites (“Bellunesi”, from the
name of the province, Belluno), between two areas included in
the UNESCO Heritage sites: Civetta-Pale di San Martino and
Pelmo. It is also partly included in the National Park of Belluno
Dolomites, another UNESCO Heritage site. The natural value
is thus very relevant and the area is part of the EU network for
biodiversity conservation Nature 200014. It counts around 2
800 inhabitants, over several villages distributed on a surface
of 141,65 square kilometers. The villages’ extension is very

13
Impianti di risalita. Proporre modelli di sviluppo rispettosi dell'ambiente.
14
Rete Natura 2000 | Ministero della Transizione Ecologica

11
limited due to the absence of flat areas. This is also linked to the fact that no industrial or
artisanal important activity has been developed in the past. The services (supermarket, post
office, pharmacy, shops, hotels) are mainly located in the village of Forno di Zoldo, the most
accessible and most populated one (from the website Comune Val di Zoldo). In the picture, a
map of the valley (in the black circle) and the surrounding area (source: WebDolomiti).

The valley has a long history of emigrations, ever since the beginning of the 19th century.
The traditional occupations of local people were those of blacksmith and woodsman, for
which there was a constant demand in the naval construction sector in Venice. In the
pictures below, a traditional Venetian gondola’s bow and a picture of the Casal family, leader
in this production since the 17th century (source: Val di Zoldo website).

12
The valley was also the starting point of strong migrations towards European countries,
South America, Australia. Here, the people from Zoldo brought another traditionally relevant
economic activity, that of artisanal ice creams. The valley is known today as the “Ice cream
valley”, and this sector also contributes to local tourism (from the website Comune Val di
Zoldo).

The valley has thus faced a long-lasting depopulation trend. Between 2019 and 2020 it lost
134 inhabitants, attesting depopulation at a 4,2% annual rate (News in Quota, 2020). The
trends are thus similar to what has been observed for the broad Alpine area: depopulation as
a consequence of lack of sufficient services and work opportunities.

2.2 | Analysis of tourism trajectories

The local economy of Zoldo valley is mainly based on mass tourism, since its 80 km ski
slopes (Ski Civetta) are part of Dolomiti Superski, one of the biggest Italian ski areas.
Employment is subject to a high seasonality dependence: ski slopes maintenance and
functioning, skiing courses, rent of ski equipment, hotels, apartment rent, restaurants, shuttle
services, etc. There is, especially in winter, a massive shift of local people from their usual
jobs to those connected to tourism business. In the picture, the Ski Civetta local ski slopes
network.

13
Other touristic activities include, in winter: nordic skiing, biathlon, skiing mountaineering,
snowshoeing, ice skating (in the ice skating ring of Forno di Zoldo). In summer: climbing, via
ferrata, biking, horse trekking, canyoning, hiking, walking routes of different levels. There are
also activities and summer camps for children, experiential activities on cheese making,
mushroom picking, bird watching, etc15. Most of these activities have proved to be more
resilient alternatives to events like the Covid-19 pandemics than the skiing-related business.

Cultural activities and events have also been explored as a tourism attraction. The Nail
Museum in Longarone about traditional craftsmanship, the Casal boats’ exposition,
traditional festivals during the summer, artisanal markets, concerts16. Following the seasonal
trends, almost all cultural activities take place during summer months.

2.3 | Non tourism-based explored trajectories to improve development17

The local municipality is active and present in the public arena and the mayor constantly
communicates with people, through the municipality website and his Facebook page18.
There, he shares information about services, updates about the Covid-19 situation and
measures, cultural initiatives, etc. Several interventions are made for the maintenance of
public areas, trails and natural spaces. According to a recent publication of the mayor, 200
000 euros have been allocated for 2021 interventions on streets and pavements. Through
15
the breath of the Unesco Dolomites
16
the breath of the Unesco Dolomites
17
Except from where other sources are explicitly indicated, all the information of this paragraph comes
from the official Zoldo valley municipality website Comune di Val di Zoldo
18
Facebook page: Sindaco Val di Zoldo Camillo de Pellegrin

14
the means of Facebook, the mayor encourages the creation of networks for volunteering
(assistance to elders, summer camps, trash picking initiatives, Green Cross, etc). The
municipality also shares some information about job opportunities, but the local offer is very
limited.

The importance of services is crucial to avoid depopulation, encourage and facilitate the
arrival of new inhabitants. Transport is one of the biggest concerns, in a context where some
villages (Coi, Costa) are 3 km far from the closest grocery shop, 4 km from the primary
school, 8 km from the hardware store. There is currently a bus service that provides two trips
per day to and from the village of Longarone where the closest train station is located and
the city of Belluno. Some reductions on the purchase of tickets exist, but it remains an
expensive and insufficient service. The project “Better Moving in the Mountains” (Muoversi
Meglio in Montagna - MMM)19, launched in 2020 thanks to the European Fund for Regional
Development, introduces an innovative concept of public transport based on shuttles on
demand. The MMM project planning included meeting with the local population to collect
suggestions and opinions, with a view of offering a service that could respond to the actual
needs. Unfortunately, this was not possible due to the Covid-19 restrictions, but the service
should soon become effective.

Services for families and children are also present: some economic bonuses are allocated
for maternity and newborn care, to support the (few) newbie parents who are residents in the
valley. Other bonuses exist to support school fees and summer camps for children. Local
schools’ timetables often partially cover the afternoons, to release parents from child care
during working hours. Given the massive seasonal migratory trend of local workers towards
German-speaking countries, a commendable initiative of the local school institute is the
teaching of German as a foreign language, which starts from a context-based needs
analysis and sets the bases for a linguistic competence and integration within the Alpine
region20.

Recreational and cultural services are concentrated in the biggest villages. Two public
libraries, located in Forno di Zoldo and Fusine, put at disposal free WiFi and computers, in
addition to a study area and books. However, the opening hours vary consistently depending
on the season. There is a cinema in the village of Dont, which hosts movies and theatre
shows. Sport is mainly outdoor, there are no fitness gyms in the valley. There are some
playgrounds, bars and restaurants in every village.

19
Home | www.mmm-valdizoldo.eu
20
http://www.zoldoscuola.eu

15
Initiatives for the promotion of housing were also researched, but there seems not to be any
benefit on this side. There is no facility hosting asylum seekers, nor it seems to be interested
by the presence of economic migrants. What has been seen in the broad picture about the
new inhabitants of mountain areas, in Zoldo valley is a rather limited phenomenon.

Discussion

Development, as already stressed, is not all about tourism. The last plays an essential role
that should be protected against setbacks and made always more sustainable and inclusive.
However, it cannot answer all the needs that have been highlighted as primary elements in
the collapse of some mountain areas. The discussion will be divided into two parts: one
about making tourism business more sustainable, and the other about analyzing trajectories
of development that are not about tourism. To do so, we will get back to some examples
already presented in the previous chapters.

Integrated tourism models

In regards to tourism, the non-resilience and non-sustainability of mass tourism trajectories
call for alternative models. On the side of sports, many alternatives to skiing have proved to
be preferable in terms of environment protection, biodiversity conservation and sustainable
land use. The best activities in terms of environmental impact are the ones that are
performed in pristine nature, like skiing mountaineering, snowshoeing, climbing, hiking. Of
course, all human activity has some level of impact on the natural environment and if all
tourists that crowd on ski slopes were to start snowshoeing, it would soon become a poorly
sustainable activity, causing high disturbance of natural environments.

The best approach for sustainable tourism implies the overcoming of touristic monocultures
with a combination of different low-impact, inclusive, light, extensive (Dematteis, M., 2020),
non-seasonal activities, based on respect and curiosity for the specific territorial and social
contexts it is performed in (Ibid; Dematteis, G., 2020), to promote an intimate and aware
frequentation of the mountains (Dematteis, M., 2020). A similar model is to be built over an
extensive period, with a gradual reconversion of facilities, services and know-how from mass
tourism to integrated models. For instance, the village of Mareson-Pecol in Zoldo valley,
where the ski slopes are located, is home to 200 inhabitants and at least 13 hotels, many of
which face economic difficulties due to seasonal fluctuations, competition with each other
and with the private rental market. A community-based tourism approach could imply a
common reflection on the sustainability of such a massive number of hosting structures. To

16
be truly inclusive and place-specific, integrated tourism would require the involvement of
local actors in all the steps of planning, from the design to the implementation. Overcoming
the traditional mass tourism model would surely require an important collective cultural
change, new community decision-making and substantial funds to support the initial losses
that might be faced, but diversifying the offer, making it more sustainable, resilient and
community-based will eventually benefit and secure the local economy (Okazaki, 2008).

Local development trajectories

The enrichment and development of local communities will also be served by an increased
attractiveness, service offer and resource valorization of remote mountain areas.

On the side of service offer, the primary issue is that of transports. The MMM project, with
the introduction of shuttles on demand, provides an example of how this can be done by
properly addressing the local needs and finding the most suitable context-based solution.
The most obvious and traditional solutions - in this case, a regular bus service - might not
apply to specific contexts. Increasing the number of buses in the Zoldo valley would result in
much higher service costs for small benefits. A simple alternative transport solution resulted
in providing the best answer to a contextual need, and might eventually help reduce the
costs for the service provided.

The example of MMM provides a good example of community-based problematization and

social innovation. Similar approaches might be adopted for addressing other collective
needs. Local institutions play an important role in the creation of the spaces where those
needs could be expressed. Creating networks of volunteering, promoting cultural offers even
in low-seasons, encouraging exchanges, study and work opportunities across local contexts,
are all development trajectories that can result in an improved quality of life.

Repopulation is a necessity for remote mountain areas to survive. It is not an indicator of

sustainable development per se, but might be encouraged and managed in a sustainable
way, to create models of positive integration and sustainable living. Indeed, the focus should
be on how and why to repopulate, rather than on how much. The Covid-19 pandemics has
made many people realize the insufficiency, in urban contexts, of connections within a
community of people and with the natural environment. The demand for sustainable
lifestyles in local and community contexts is increasing. Local institutions should promote
sustainable housing programs, involving the use of green energies, the requalification of
territories, the restoration of traditional buildings, as in Emilia Romagna Regional Fund. This

17
would contribute not only to repopulation but also to the regeneration and valorization of
territorial and cultural heritage (Manifesto di Camaldoli, 2019). Of course, repopulation
initiatives must be performed in a sustainable way to not increase the already existing stress
on natural ecosystems, and to guarantee a respectful integration in the sociocultural context.

Conclusion
Even development requires a multi actor, multilayer and multidisciplinary approach, that
might help reverse the trends of economic, sociocultural and environmental degradation of
remote mountain areas. At the same time, it should enhance a proactive approach based on
the protagonism of local communities, able to cope with the challenges of present times and
reinforce resilience to restore, protect and enrich the mountain environment.

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Websites consulted
https://www.valdizoldo.net/it/val_di_zoldo/storia
https://www.comune.valdizoldo.bl.it/home.html
https://corrierealpi.gelocal.it/belluno/cronaca/2021/03/07/news/le-pro-loco-pronte-a-ripartire-c
asse-vuote-ma-noi-ci-siamo-1.39998043
http://www.mmm-valdizoldo.eu
https://www.agenziacoesione.gov.it/strategia-nazionale-aree-interne/
http://www.dolomitidizoldo.it/antichi-borghi/

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