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CARMENDELGADOVIN
˜AS
Apartfromsmalldifferencesintroducedbytheunevensurfacedimensionsof
thestudiedcounties,thefaintcurrenthumanoccupancyisarelativelyrecent
phenomenonlinkedtothelowvolumeofpopulationtodaylivinginthese
territories.Inturn,thedemographicshortageistheresultofaregressivedynamic
markedbythecontinuingpopulationlossessincethemid-20thcentury,
particularlyduringthe1960sand1970s,butwithtemporalandspatial
differences.And,whatisevenmoreserious,theintensedecreaseofhuman
resourceshasbeenprolongedmanytimestothepresent.Itistruethatthedecline
hasslowedinrecentyears,especiallysincethebeginningofthe21stcentury,and
sometimespopulationgrowthisproducedinsomecentersthatfunctionascounty
towns,whichontheotherhandhascontributedtorisingoftheintraregional
imbalances.
However,manyofthemountainareasanalyzedcontinuedtolosepopulation
evenintheyearswhentheirterritorialcontextshadsignificantgrowth;orwhen
theseterritoriesdecreased,themountainareassufferedamuchmorepronounced
reductionoftheirpopulation.Thisisacommondenominatorwhichalsoaffects
well-placedmountainousregions.Theyhaveapositiveeconomicdynamism
becauseoftheirproximityandaccessibilitytourban-industrialcenters,valuesof
declinearemuchsmaller.Someoftheselastcountieshavestartedtogain
populationinthelastdecadeduetothedevelopmentoftheirroleasperi-urban
residentialspacefornearbyurbanareas.
Thekeyfactorsofthedecreaseare:first,thepersistenceofruralexodus
motivatedbothbythecontinuationofthecrisisoftraditionalagriculturalmodels
and,atthesametime,thoughatfirstsightitseemscontradictory,byrapid
modernization,especiallyduetodifficultlivingconditionsinthemountainareas
andthelackofemploymentopportunities,particularlyforwomen,themain
protagonistsoftherecentruralemigration.Asocioeconomicreality,ontheother
hand,explainsthesecondfactor,anegativenaturalbalancewhichhasexistedfor
yearsandshowsastateofbiologicalexhaustionduetothefallingbirthrateand
increasedmortality.
Thecorollaryofthisdemographicdeclineisrepresentedbytheprocessesof
masculinizingandagingindifferentdegrees,whichgototheextremeinsome
cases(LaSerrota)andremainatsomewhatlowerlevelsinothers,buttheyare
alwayssevereforthestabilityofthedemographicstructures,definedforclear
featuresofdislocation.Therecentpresenceofnon-residentlinkedpopulation,
althoughfavorstheincreaseofpopulationeffectiveforafewweeksinthemiddle
ofthesummer,doesnothelpsolvethefundamentalproblemsofmountain
populations.
Theregressiveevolutionofthepopulationhasalsoinducedchangesinthe
patternofsettlementofthesecounties.Exceptforsomecases(TierradePinares),
thetraditionalsystemofsettlementshasconsistedintheexistenceofnumerous
tinyvillages,hamletsand((neighborhoods”,whosedimensionshavebeenreduced
moreandmoreastheprocessofdepopulationhasprogressedtothepointthat
manyofthem,evenwithoutphysicaldisappearance,havelostalltheirinhabitants
