The Ideology of Environmental Regionalism: the Challenge of the Alpine Convention and the "Strange Case" of the Andean Community [Jon Marco Church]

1

THE ALPINE CONVENTION AND
THE ANDEAN COMMUNITY

ALTERNATIVE MODELS FOR
MOUNTAIN REGIONALISM?

September 18, 2010
Perth

Jon Marco Church jonmarco_church@hks.harvard.edu Center for International Development www.cid.harvard.edu Harvard Kennedy School
jon-marco.church@malix.univ-paris1.fr Centre de recherches politiques de la Sorbonne crps.univ-paris1.fr Université Paris 1

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OUTLINE
1. Environmental regionalism
• History
• Definitions
• Criticisms
2. Mountain cases
• Ecologic factors
• Socio-economic factors
• Political aspects
3. Some conclusions


Questions History Definitions Criticisms
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Ecologic Socio-economic Political Conclusions

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?


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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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TREND
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1956

1982

1998
1948
1950
1952
1954

1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980

1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996

2000
2002
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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CARPATHIANCONVENTION
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, - Dominant sectors: mining, water
tourism, transport
- Emerging issues: climate, water - Emerging issue: transport (IIRSA)
- Demographics: national and - Demographically more uniform
subnational variations (rural exodus, indigenous
question)


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POLITICAL ASPECTS
- Typical regional environmental - Standard regional integration
agreement organization
- Product of the capitals - Also product of the capitals
- Leading ENGO: CIPRA (official - Leading ENGO: CONDESAN (no
observer) official observers)
- Official languages: 4 - Common language (Spanish)
- Dominant role of the rotating - Prominent role of the
presidency secretariat


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POLITICAL ASPECTS (CONTINUED)
- Balance of “institutional - Traditional balance of power
capacity”, decentralization (military, economic)
- Limited funding (€0.8 million, - Core funding ($5 million,
personnel: 10), autonomous EU personnel: 100), development
program (€26 million) 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 "Strange Case" of the Andean Community [Jon Marco Church]

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The Ideology of Environmental Regionalism: the Challenge of the Alpine Convention and the "Strange Case" of the Andean Community [Jon Marco Church]