Geneva Hosts First European Conference On Commons

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) From the irrigation channels of canton Valais to the herds of reindeer in the Arctic, commons – resources shared and managed by local communities – could play a key role in preserving biodiversity and achieving goals of sustainable development. The first European conference on the topic took place in Geneva in December.

Warfare, humanitarian crises, climate change, health... Rachel covers geopolitical issues from international Geneva. As a former environmental journalist, she has developed a keen interest in raw materials and has reported on mining conflicts in the Arctic. She also coordinates the 'Genève Vision' editorial project, a joint venture between SWI Swissinfo, Géopolitis RTS and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

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From Switzerland to Finland, from Britain to Spain and Montenegro, the European continent contains many collectively managed natural resources.

“It is thought that 35% of forests in Switzerland, 60% of Alpine pastures in Austria and almost 90% of those in Slovenia are managed by local communities,” points out Gretchen Walters, associate professor at the Institute of Geography and Sustainability, University of Lausanne. She was involved in organising the first European conference on commons, held in Geneva in December.

Commons are resources shared and self-managed by a community to ensure sustainable use.

“It's a very old idea, still active today,” Walters explains.“Three elements define commons: a resource, a community group, and a framework of rules.” These resources may be natural or cultural. They may include pastures, forests and waterways. Self-management is what differentiates them from the usual government jurisdiction.

Although the concept of commons has been around for centuries, it was given a modern theoretical framework by political scientist Elinor Ostrom in the 1990s. Her research focused mainly on the communal management of pasture land in Törbel in Switzerland's Upper Valais region. It showed that local communities can effectively manage resources without privatisation or government control. She received the Nobel Prize in economics for her work in 2009.

The 'bisses' of canton Valais are just such a common resource. These irrigation channels began to be built in the 12th century in response to drought and a demographic boom. They bring water to pastures, and they are managed by“consortages”, a sort of cooperative whose members are users of a common resource.

In France, on the Mediterranean coast, fishery councils called“prud'homies de pêche” manage marine resources by laying down local rules for sustainable fishing. They have been doing it since the Middle Ages.

“From fishing on the ice to herding reindeer in the far North, to pastoralism and transhumance in the South, collective use of land in Europe is varied and widespread,” says Tero Mustonen, a Finnish geographer and contributing researcher with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, who was at the conference.

Co-organised by the International Association for the Study of the CommonsExternal link , the ICCA ConsortiumExternal link , the International Union for the Conservation of NatureExternal link and the universities of Lausanne and Bern, this
eventExternal link brought together experts, researchers and indigenous peoples as well as local political figures and practitioners on the ground from various European countries.

“We want to create a European network of all these actors to exchange and learn from the varied practices and challenges encountered,” Walters explains.
“Another goal is to make decision-makers more aware of these systems, which are often underestimated and misunderstood.”

Based on the sustainable management of resources, commons could be a key part of the answer to today's issues such as loss of biodiversity and global warming, Walters believes.“Throughout Europe, local communities and native peoples are managing a variety of resources in a sustainable manner that respects biodiversity,” she says.“These commons can play a crucial role in achieving the goals of sustainable development.”

In Finland, Mustonen has organised the cleanup of over 100 old mine sites and logging operations in the moorlands, working with local native communities.“These moors are precious carbon sinks, and preservers of biodiversity, like birds and insects. They act as filters curbing pollution of waterways,” he says. He is both a fisherman and head of the Finnish village of Selkie.

These achievements of his organisation Snowchange – an independent cooperative of people engaged in herding and fishing, entrepreneurs and researchers – won him the Goldman environmental prizeExternal link in 2023, as well as the Climate BreakthroughExternal link prize at the end of 2024.

Yet commons are usually not legally recognised.“These efforts at conservation are more often than not ignored by governments. They have a tendency to be invisible, especially in Europe,” according to Walters.

Commons are also under pressure.“We see governments wanting to take over these lands that are collectively managed, particularly in France,” she says. Mustonen agrees. His focus is on the Arctic Circle, where he finds that“several territories are coming under pressure, especially from mining, renewable energy projects and tourism”.

This trend is exacerbated by the perception that such lands – often used seasonally, as in the case of high pastures – are unoccupied and untouched wilderness.“What many people would term 'wild nature'or 'wide open spaces' are in fact subject to human use, linked closely to sustainable economies of hunting, gathering and reindeer herding which have been around for centuries,” Mustonen points out.

In Montenegro, for example, the government is proposing to open a NATO-sponsored military training camp in one of Europe's biggest tracts of pasture land. Since 2019, shepherds have been mobilising to preserve this ecosystem shaped by traditional pastoral practices, agriculture, and plant and fruit gathering.

“These communities usually don't have the tools to enforce their rights,” Mustonen says. He is calling for greater legal recognition for commons and he wants to see them mapped. At the end of the conference, a manifesto was to be published with this message.

For Walters, a higher profile for these resources would facilitate the achievement of UN goals regarding sustainable development. Between now and 2030, the UN intends to
protect 30% of the Earth's land and marine areas.

“Apart from creation of national parks and reserves, which often exclude local communities, it's time to recognise and make the most of existing conservation efforts, as happens in self-managed areas,” she says.“In Canada, for example, some indigenous territories are recognised as OECMs [other effective area-based conservation measures].
Europe is slow to move on these issues.”

She does point out, however, that Switzerland is one of the few countries to have a recognised legal role for commons, with the system of“bourgeoisies” or traditional citizens' associations.

For Mustonen, Europe is now in a position to send a strong signal on the international scene by recognising the commons found on its territory.

“The environment and biodiversity crises we are going through right now are a crisis in our relationship with nature,” he says.“The approach used by commons offers solutions, in that it reminds us that we are not enemies of nature, but we coexist with it.”

Edited by Samuel Jaberg. Adapted from French by Terence MacNamee/ts

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