resorts have developed. The accelerated sectoral shift of employment from agricultural to industrial
and services activities has enlarged the (mountain) regions which are concentrating their development
strategies on tourism.
In general, this lead to considerable success of employment development in parts of the European
mountain regions, particularly in Austria. However, detailed territorial analysis reveals that
demographic and employment development is quite different across regions. In addition the
concentration of settlement development in the valleys sharpened the problems of high population
densities in these parts of the regions. Phenomena of isolation and remoteness are thus restricted to
parts of the mountain regions and communities and have to be assessed due to topographical barriers
locally.
The paper will focus on the diversity of regional development in Austria’s mountain areas. By using
this national case it is suggested that similar analyses would be applicable to other mountain regions in
Europe. The Austrian case also provides experience from a long-lasting commitment to mountain
policies. The common concern for the mountain development shared by different sectors and
recognised at different territorial levels favoured the conceptualisation of “integrated” programmes.
Mainly starting from a specific focus of agricultural policies on mountain farmers in combination with
the establishment of regional policies consensus about the need for integration of programmes has
developed. Recently this attitude is increasingly shared as paradigm for regional development in
Europe and mountain areas are conceived of as “laboratories” (Barruet 1995a).
The new attention attached to mountain issues is specifically related to the high ecological sensibility
of mountain areas and its impact on global change (Price 1999). The inclusion of Chapter 13
“Managing Fragile Ecosystems: Sustainable Mountain Development” in the “Agenda 21” document,
endorsed by the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED 1992) in Rio de
Janeiro, signifies the priority of the theme. What is more, the process initiated by that document and
numerous other activities at different levels have pushed the discussion, preparation and
implementation of integrated policies further.
The conflicts between environmental, developmental and societal changes often occur earlier in
mountain regions than elsewhere. Mountain regions like the Alps are therefore called upon to find