the ideology of environmental regionalism: the challenge of the alpine convention and the...

Jon Marco Church [email protected] Center for International Development www.cid.harvard.edu Harvard Kennedy School

[email protected] Centre de recherches politiques de la Sorbonne crps.univ-paris1.fr Université Paris 1

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THE ALPINE CONVENTION AND THE ANDEAN COMMUNITY

ALTERNATIVE MODELS FOR MOUNTAIN REGIONALISM?

September 18, 2010 Perth



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OUTLINE

1. Environmental regionalism • History • Definitions • Criticisms

2. Mountain cases • Ecologic factors • Socio-economic factors • Political aspects

3. Some conclusions



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QUESTIONS - Is the Alpine (and Carpathian) Convention the only model for regional mountain agreements? - Can the Andean Community be considered as an alternative model? - What do they have in common? How do they differ from each other? - What do they tell us about environmental regionalism?

Questions History Definitions Criticisms Ecologic Socio-economic Political Conclusions



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HISTORY - International organization starts with rivers in the 19th

century - “New Deal” regional environmental initiatives in the 1930s - UNEP regional seas conventions since the 1970s - Regional mountain agreements since the 1990s

…a “modest enterprise” (Foster & Meyer 2000)




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rivers lakes seas mountains




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DEFINITIONS - “Natural” borders, security (Foucher 1991) - Geographic landmarks, ecosystems - Ecology, geography, political science, international relations - Frustration with “scientific” attempts to delineate regions

(Hurrell 1995) - Example: the definition of the scope of application of the

Carpathian Convention (Fall & Egerer 2004)




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CRITICISMS - Nothing new - Naïve belief in virtuous practices of ecoregional identities

(Debarbieux 2009) - Historically reductionist (Frenkel 1994)

…“geographic reductionism”? …persisting tension between social-historical and

environmental-geographical factors and perspectives




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ALPINE CONVENTION

Members Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia, Switzerland, EU

Objective Integrated protection of the environment

Year 1991 Protocols 9 Secretariat Innsbruck-Bolzano



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CARPATHIAN CONVENTION

Members Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Ukraine

Objective Protection and sustainable development

Year 2003 Protocols 1 Secretariat Vienna (UNEP)



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ANDEAN COMMUNITY

Members Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru (former: Chile, Venezuela)

Objective Integrated development

Year 1969 Decisions 737 (June 2010) Organs Secretariat, Parliament, Councils, Tribunal, Bank, University



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ECOLOGIC AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS


Alpine Convention Andean Community

- Compact, ecologically uniform - Long, “megadiverse”

- It includes the whole arc - It does not cover the whole range

- Dominant sectors: nature, tourism, transport

- Dominant sectors: mining, water

- Emerging issues: climate, water - Emerging issue: transport (IIRSA)

- Demographics: national and subnational variations

- Demographically more uniform (rural exodus, indigenous question)



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POLITICAL ASPECTS



- Typical regional environmental agreement

- Standard regional integration organization

- Product of the capitals - Also product of the capitals

- Leading ENGO: CIPRA (official observer)

- Leading ENGO: CONDESAN (no official observers)

- Official languages: 4 - Common language (Spanish)

- Dominant role of the rotating presidency

- Prominent role of the secretariat



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POLITICAL ASPECTS (CONTINUED)



- Balance of “institutional capacity”, decentralization

- Traditional balance of power (military, economic)

- Limited funding (€0.8 million, personnel: 10), autonomous EU program (€26 million)

- Core funding ($5 million, personnel: 100), development bank (capital: $10 billion)

-Compare: CIPRA incomes (€1.5 million)



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ANDEAN COMMUNITY (MORE)

- Recent democratic transitions, ideological divisions (ALBA, FTAs)

- Recent armed conflict, traditional alliances (Peru-Ecuador 1995-98)

- High levels of institutionalization, including an Andean Parliament and Court, binding nature of decisions

- Focus on social and economic issues, growing awareness on environmental concerns (Andean Environmental Agenda)




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WORKING PAPER

ENVIRONMENTAL REGIONALISM THE CHALLENGE OF THE ALPINE CONVENTION AND THE “STRANGE CASE” OF THE ANDEAN COMMUNITY

Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Center for International Development Sustainability Science Program



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CONCLUSIONS

- Existing regional mountain agreements can be studied as international organizations

- The Alpine Convention is more mountain specific, but it is institutionally weak

- If it further developed its environmental agenda, the Andean Community has the potential of becoming the strongest regional international organization for mountains

- The Andean Community can be considered as an alternative model for new regional mountain agreements in the Balkans, Caucasus, Himalaya, etc.


the ideology of environmental regionalism: the challenge of the alpine convention and the...

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