Environmental Regionalism: The Challenge of the Alpine Convention and the "Strange Case" of the Andean Community

Abstract

A number of regional mountain agreements are currently being negotiated. The 1991 Al-pine Convention is often presented as the only model of international framework for a mountain range and the 2003 Carpathian Convention follows roughly the same model. However, there is at least one alternative model that is frequently ignored by scholars and practitioners alike: the 1969 Andean Community. First, this paper questions environmental regionalism, presenting it as an ideology and putting it under critical and historical perspective. Then, it compares the cases of both the Alpine Convention and the Andean Community. This paper suggests that the Andean Community may be a concurrent model for mountain agreements, especially in developing coun-tries and conflict zones such as the Balkans, the Caucasus, or the Himalayas. These cases also contribute to a better understanding of environmental regionalism.