Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the variety of actors claiming rights over the mountain pastures of the Resia Valley (NE Italy): long-term settled and newcome breeders, rangers, hunters, tourism providers, and wild animals. Who represents these different visions and and what lies behind them?

Paper long abstract:

The Resia Valley is a remote valley situated in the Western Julian Alps in the North-Eastern part of the Friuli Region (Italy). Research into the remainders and transformations of traditional Alpine herding/pasturing revealed its intense disintegration and, at the same time, a variety of different actors and initiatives claiming rights over more or less abandoned mountain pastures. Besides some long-term settled breeders, owners of the pastures in the lower alps, there are also tenants of the high alp from the surrounding lands, and rangers from the Julian Prealps Nature Park, which in fact manages the single high alp and whose main concern is to protect the diversity of the flora and fauna. Its aims appear to partially overlap with those of the hunters, who several years ago actually invited into the valley a transhumant herder with large flocks of sheep and Romanian shepherds. There are some other long-term and newcome actors desiring to make their living through activities (in)directly connected with the mountain pastures; either by gathering wild herbs, apiculture, or by various tourism activities. Furthermore, large feral carnivores are also present in the area, seemingly most protected among the involved actors. Who is qualified to represent these different visions in the public discourse, and where, if at all, is it taking place? Who is deprived of being represented? Finally, what lies behind these apparently conflicting visions?