Los recursos humanos en un espacio natural protegido: Sierra Nevada

Abstract

Sierra Nevada, like all Spanish mountain areas and like a great part of interior territory of Andalucia, has had a considerable demographic backward during the 20tth century. The population at the beginning of the 21st century is a quarter under the one registered in 1900 and one third below that of 1950. Several complex factors, both internal and external to the mountain, being of an economic rather than demographic nature, were at the origin of a great population migration. The great loss of population has provoked important changes in demography and in the economic activity of Sierra Nevada. The population of this protected area is actually characterized by an unbalanced distribution in the territory, a scarce natural growth, accelerated ageing and a dominance of the services sector. The declaration, in July 1989, of a Protected Natural Area, as a Natural Park, and more recently National Park has hardly altered the regressive demographic inertia affecting of most its communities. Just a certain tendency towards a demographic stabilisation of the total population in de mass can be perceived.