Commons and the legacy of the past. Regulation and uses of common lands in twentieth century Spain

Abstract

Abstract:The authors explore the transformation of common lands in Spain in the second half of the 20th Century, when the nation experienced significant structural and political changes. If the 19th Century was defined by privatisation of common lands, the 20th Century experienced slight growth, but there were differences among the regions. Although the legal definition and classification of common lands is fixed, and was determined by the municipal entity, new formulas (such as the montes vecinales en mano común regulated in 1968) appeared to solve the tension between the state and local control. Ultimately, flexibility was the main characteristic of the regulations which allowed for adapting uses to a diversity of regional circumstances. Along with the productive and environmental regulations, the use of common lands for social purposes through the distribution of plots for cultivation was emphasised. Nevertheless, at the end of the 20th Century Spanish legislation concerning common lands was more focused on earlier norms than on the future.

Symmetries and Asymmetries in Collective Management: Comparing Effects on Resilience and Rural Development in Galician Common Lands and the Brazilian Extractive Reserves

“…Galician communities deal with disturbances associated with land abandonment or the demand for new uses such as environmental protection, tourism, energy, or forestry. Lana and Iriarte-Goñi (2015) state that 'changes occurring in Spain during the second half of the twentieth century can be related to the transition from the traditional use of common lands, linked to an organic economy, to a post-industrial economy in which many of these uses (pasture, acorn, firewood, charcoal, hunting) declined, and new ones (recreational, tourism, urban ground, energy) emerged'. In addition, where agriculture has disappeared, abandonment constitutes a major environmental problem as fires become more severe (López-Iglesias et al, 2013).…”

“…We emphasized two elements in this definition: the privilege of use instituted by custom and dependence on land resources. Lana and Iriarte-Goñi (2015) highlight the distinction made by Schlager and Ostrom (1992) regarding property rights to develop a definition of 'common lands' that can be applied for analysing this regime of use in Spain. These authors look at the level of operation (access to resources de Moura et al International Journal of the Commons DOI: 10.5334/ijc.1055 and their use) and the level of collective deliberation (management, exclusion, and alienation) to identify areas that could be defined as common.…”

Routledge Handbook of the Study of the Commons

“…As explained above, a longer time perspective can contribute considerably to our understanding of the dynamics of institutional change (e.g. Lana 2013Lana , 2014aLana , 2014bLana & Iriarte-Goñi 2015) but also demonstrates that a focus on institutional development alone is insufficient to understand why institutions which all have a very similar institutional design still tend to differ in "age at dissolution. "…”

Socially-Inclusive Development and Value Creation: How a Composting Project in Galicia (Spain) ‘Hit the Rocks’

“…In the case of the Val Miñor initiative, active comuneiros explained and defended the rationale for a different way of governing the circular economy. Commoning is formally recognized by Spanish legislation, and enables local communities to search and implement multifunctional land-use functions tailored to local conditions [85,86]. As with many other initiatives that present themselves (or are perceived) as alternatives to mainstream practices, Val Miñor faced many challenges in acquiring societal acceptance.…”