A first European conference on the commons is born in Geneva

From Switzerland to Finland, via Spain, the United Kingdom and Montenegro, the European continent is home to numerous so-called collective natural resources. “It is estimated that 35% of forests in Switzerland, 60% of alpine pastures in Austria, and almost 90% of those in Slovenia are managed by local communities,” notes Gretchen Walters, professor of sustainable development practices at the University. of Lausanne and co-organizer of the first European Conference on the Commons, which took place in Geneva.

What are the commons?

The “commons” are resources shared and self-managed by a community to guarantee sustainable use. “It’s an old concept, still active today,” explains Gretchen Walters. Three elements define the commons: a resource, a collective and rules. These resources – which can be natural or cultural – can include, among others, pastures, forests, water. Self-management is what differentiates them from public authorities.

Although the concept has existed for centuries, it was theorized in a modern way by the political scientist Elinor Ostrom in the 1990s. Her work, which was notably based on community management of pastures in Törbel in Haut-Valais, demonstrated that local communities can effectively manage resources without resorting to privatization or state control. Research which earned him the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2009.

From Valais bisses to ice fishing

The Valais bisses also constitute a common area. These irrigation canals, built in the 12th century in response to drought and a population boom, supply pastures with water, and are managed by consortages, a form of cooperation in which users come together to jointly exploit a GOOD. In France too, on the Mediterranean coast, communities of fishermen – called fishing prud’homies – collectively manage marine resources by defining local rules for sustainable fishing, and have been doing so since the Middle Ages.

“From ice fishing to reindeer herding in the north, to pastoralism and transhumance in the south, collective land uses in Europe are vast and varied,” shares Tero Mustonen, a Finnish geographer and IPCC expert , also present at the conference.

In the Norwegian Arctic, Sámi reindeer herders accompany their herds on migrations of several hundred kilometers.

EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

Co-organized by the International Association for the Study of the Commons, the ICCA Consortium, IUCN and the University of Lausanne, the event External linkbrings together around a hundred experts, researchers, indigenous peoples as well as local politicians and field practitioners, from various European countries. “We want to create a European network of these different actors to exchange and learn from these varied practices and the challenges encountered. Another objective is to raise awareness among decision-makers of these systems, which are often underestimated and misunderstood,” explains co-organizer Gretchen Walters.

A panacea for biodiversity?

Based on sustainable resource management, the commons could be a key response to contemporary challenges, such as the loss of biodiversity or global warming, according to Gretchen Walters: “Across Europe, local communities and indigenous peoples manage a diversity of resources in a sustainable manner that respects biodiversity. These commons play a crucial role in achieving sustainable development goals.”

In Finland, Tero Mustonen led the remediation of more than a hundred former mining and logging sites in peatlands, working with local indigenous communities. “Peatlands are valuable carbon sinks and shelters for biodiversity, such as birds and insects. Peats also function as filters that fight against water pollution,” explains this fisherman who is also chief of the Finnish village of Selkie.

These steps, undertaken with its organization Snowchange – an independent cooperative of breeders, fishermen, entrepreneurs and researchers – won the Goldman Prize for the EnvironmentExternal link in 2023, as well as the Climate Breakthrough PrizeExternal link since December 4, 2024.

Legally underestimated

However, the commons are rarely legally recognized. “Its conservation efforts are rarely valued or recognized by governments. There is a tendency towards invisibility, especially in Europe,” notes Gretchen Walters.

The commons would even be under pressure. “We are seeing more and more State monopolization of these collectively managed lands, particularly in France and Italy,” notes the researcher. An observation shared by Tero Mustonen, who specializes in the Arctic Circle: “Many territories are under pressure, particularly with mining, renewable energy projects and tourism.”

A trend often exacerbated by the perception of these lands – sometimes managed seasonally, as is the case with certain pastures – as being “virgin” and unused. “What many call ‘wilderness’ or ’empty spaces’ are often in reality cultural landscapes, closely linked to sustainable economies of hunting, gathering and reindeer herding that have existed for centuries,” Tero adds. Mustonen.

In Spain, sheep transhumance is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.

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In Montenegro, for example, the government wants to open a NATO-supported military training camp in one of Europe’s largest pastures. Since 2019, shepherds have been mobilizing to preserve this ecosystem, shaped by traditional practices of pastoralism, agriculture and plant and fruit picking.

“Communities rarely have the tools to assert their rights,” notes Tero Mustonen, who calls for better legal recognition of the commons and their mapping. At the end of the conference, a manifesto should be published to this effect.

For Gretchen Walters, better recognition would make it possible to achieve the UN sustainable development goals. For example, by 2030, the UN plans to protect 30% of land and seas. “Beyond the creation of national parks and reserves, which often exclude local communities, this would be an opportunity to recognize and promote existing conservation efforts, as is the case in these self-managed lands,” emphasizes Gretchen Walters. In Canada, for example, certain indigenous territories are recognized as OECM (effective conservation measures other than protected areas, editor’s note). Europe, on the other hand, is far behind on these issues.”

In Spain, transhumance even crosses urban centers, as is the case here in Madrid.

EPA/ALVARO CLAVO

However, it qualifies that Switzerland is one of the rare countries to have legal recognition of the commons, through the bourgeoisie system. For Tero Mustonen, Europe has the opportunity to send a strong signal on the international scene by recognizing the commons present on its territory:

“The environmental and biodiversity crises that we are currently experiencing are above all a crisis of our relationship with nature. The commons approach offers solutions, reminding us that we are not the enemies of nature, but that we coexist with it.”

Text reread and verified by Samuel Jaberg