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Peopling mountain environments: Changing Andean livelihoods in north-west Argentina

Tanner, Thomas

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Abstract

Structural adjustment and neoliberal policy implementation in Latin America have had dramatic consequences for livelihoods and patterns of natural resource use in mountain regions. Restructuring of the agricultural economy has increased socio-economic hardship and reduced industrial labour requirements, altering traditional patterns of seasonal migration from these areas. This paper examines the implications of recent economic and political transformation for Andean livelihoods in the mountains of northwest Argentina. Case study material illustrates the local impacts of such changes on socio-economic dynamics, patterns of urban–rural interaction, and natural resource use. The research highlights the influence of agro-industrial restructuring, protected areas creation, and the distribution of social funds in the region. It reveals that local development is constrained and controlled not only by distant policies but also by contemporary local networks of political clientalism. The influence of both distant and proximate factors governing livelihoods and environmental impacts reinforces the value of geographical study in mountain areas, given its acute spatial and scalar awareness. The paper reaffirms the conception of mountain livelihoods as diverse and dynamic, shaped by economic, political, social and cultural factors as well as physical eality, and critiques the economic rationality of resource use assumed by policymakers and economic models.

Citation

Tanner, T. (2003). Peopling mountain environments: Changing Andean livelihoods in north-west Argentina. The Geographical Journal, 169(3), 205-214. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-4959.00085

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Apr 3, 2003
Publication Date Aug 22, 2003
Deposit Date Jun 30, 2021
Publicly Available Date Jun 30, 2021
Journal The Geographical Journal
Print ISSN 0016-7398
Electronic ISSN 1475-4959
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 169
Issue 3
Pages 205-214
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-4959.00085
Keywords Argentina, mountain livelihoods, natural resources, protected areas, economic restructuring, political clientalism

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Copyright Statement
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Tanner, Thomas (2003) 'Peopling mountain environments: Changing Andean livelihoods in north-west Argentina.' The Geographical Journal, 169 (3). pp. 205-214.which has been published in final form at: https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-4959.0008 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.






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