Download Definition of NUTS III mountain regions

A Preliminary Characterisation of the
Mountain Area of Europe
Andrew Copus
Rural Policy Unit
Scottish Agricultural College
Martin Price
Centre for Mountain Studies
Perth College
UHI Millennium Institute
Aim
• To prepare a preliminary
characterisation of the mountain area of
Europe based on available statistical
reporting areas and data
Methodology
• to identify a European mountain area
using consistant criteria that is spatially
compatible with existing databases
• to undertake a statistical analysis of
selected socio-economic variables for
this area
Existing national definitions: EU
• linked to support for agriculture
– altitude
( + slope )
( + > 62° N )
1000
500
n
ai
Sp
Au
str
ia
l
ce
Gr
ee
rtu
ga
Po
Ita
ly
Ge
rm
an
y
Fr
an
ce
um
lgi
Be
Ire
la
UK
0
nd
Elevation (m)
Minimum Elevation for Mountain definitions
Total area (excluding Belgium, East Germany, Finland, Ireland): 780,000 km²
Recent statements: mountain regions
of the EU
• “Some 30% of community territory consists
of mountain ranges or massifs”
– (European Commission - DG Regional Policy, 2000)
• “mountain regions account for about 30% of
the land area … in the European Union”
– (European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural
Development, 2001)
• “Mountain areas as % total EU15 surface
area: 38.8%”
– (Second Report on Economic and Social Cohesion, 2001)
Existing national definitions: non-EU
• Minimum altitude
– 350
– 500
– 600
– 650
– 700
m:
m:
m:
m:
m:
Poland
Yugoslavia
Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Norway
Albania, Croatia
Czech Republic, Romania
Development of consistent criteria
• UNEP – WCMC map (2000)
– USGS GTOPO30 altitude
database at 1 km²
resolution
 slope
 local elevation range
(relief)
• 7 km radius
• > 300 m elevation
change
Europe’s mountain area
• 23% (746,321 km²) of EU area is
mountainous
• 19% of Europe (excluding CIS) is
mountainous
Definition of NUTS III mountain regions
• UNEP-WCMC map
• NUTS III regions
• EU and Accession States
• Norwegian Fylke
• Swiss Cantons
• Balkan States
 classification of
“mountainousness”
Thresholds of mountainousness
% of Region Within WCMC
Boundary
• Wholly mountainous (>95% within WCMC boundary)
• Predominantly mountainous (60-95%)
• Partly mountainous (40-59%)
Mountain Regions (10%)
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Predominantly
Mountainous
Regions (47%)
Partly Mountainous Regions (20%)
Non Mountainous Regions (23%)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Cum ulative % of Total European Mountain Area
90
100
Definition of NUTS III mountain regions
>95% within
WCMC boundary
Definition of NUTS III mountain regions
>60% within
WCMC boundary
Definition of NUTS III mountain regions
>40% within
WCMC boundary
The NUTS III database
1 Mountainousness
2 Area
3 Urban areas
4 Population
5 Population density
6 GDP/capita (purchasing power parity)
3-6 from Eurostat (comparable data for Balkans, NO, CH)
Number of NUTS III regions
by percentage mountain threshold
NUTS III Regions
284
300
>95% mountain
203
200
115
100
28
6
27
177
>60%
"
>40%
"
41
36
17 32
45
0
EU
CEECs
NO, CH
Europe
% of NUTS III regions
by % mountain area threshold
% NUTS III Regions
%
100
>95% mountain
>60%
"
>40%
"
80
60
40
20
3
11
19
14
22
71
80
24
13
3
21
3
0
EU
CEECs
NO, CH
Europe
Total area within UNEP-WCMC boundary,
(NUTS III regions by % mountain
threshold)
Area ( '000 km2)
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
983
727
>95% mountain
510
354
94
11
EU
>60%
"
>40%
"
96 131
CEECs
197 207
125
19
NO, CH
Europe
Proportion of UNEP-WCMC mountain area
within NUTS III regions by threshold
Mountain area (%)
100
80
60
40
20
0
91 95
77
69
7
EU
76
57
48
13
>95% mountain
>60%
"
>40%
"
CEECs
57
9
NO, CH
10
Europe
Population of
European NUTS III mountain regions
Population (millions)
150
122
>95% mountain
100
73
36
50
5
1
>60%
"
>40%
"
12 20
65
1
7
8
7
0
EU
CEECs
NO, CH
Europe
Population density
of European NUTS III mountain regions
2
Population density (pop'n/km )
150
97
100
91 96
80
61
55
>95% mountain
>60%
"
>40%
"
50
84
65
57
68
26 28
0
EU
CEECs
NO, CH
Europe
GDP 1999 (purchasing power parity)
European NUTS III mountain regions
GDP (m€)
2,000
1723
1396
1,500
1,000
500
>95% mountain
672
>60%
"
>40%
"
125
6 79
118
27
163183
921
151
0
EU
CEECs
NO, CH
Europe
Impact of large towns
• >100,000 population (critical mass to affect regional
economy)
• 114 “NUTS III” regions >40% mountain and with
large town
•
•
•
•
86 EU regions
16 CEEC regions
8 Norwegian / Swiss regions
4 Balkan states
The impact of large towns
Regions >40% mountain
GDP/capita (€)
25
20
With city
15
Without "
10
5
0
EU
CEEC
NO, CH
The role of peripherality
Source:
Schürmann, C., Talaat,
A. (2000): Towards a
European Peripherality
Index. Report for General
Directorate XVI Regional
Policy of the European
Commission, Dortmund,
Institut für Raumplanung,
Universität Dortmund
Peripherality and Mountainousness: (a)
• Peripheral mountain regions are
experiencing depopulation
% Mountain
<70
<40
>40
>60
>95
1.2
1.0
0.8
1.8
Peripherality Index 
70-79
80-89
90-100
% Population Change 1995-99
0.7
-0.1
2.2
0.6
0.0
-0.1
0.4
0.5
-0.5
-0.1
-2.0
Peripherality and Mountainousness: (b)
• Peripheral mountain regions have a lower
GDP per capita
% Mountain
<40
>40
>60
>95
Peripherality Index 
<70
70-79
80-89
90-100
GDP per Capita (€ PPS) 1999
20,439
15,388
15,783
14,059
23,614
17,705
16,431
10,858
23,646
17,015
13,239
10,501
24,446
17,487
8,519
Conclusions
• The data suggests that mountain regions
have some disadvantages hampering
socio-economic development relative to
lowlands, in terms of:
– population
– GDP/capita
• this relationship is complicated by
– peripherality
– presence/absence of large towns
Some words of caution:
• NUTS III geography is inadequate
– size/configuration of regions
• little consistency across EU and CEECs (MAUP)
– “ecological fallacy” in mixed regions
 need for finer-resolution data
• lack of harmonised data
(e.g. NUTS V?)
(even at NUTS III)
– few variables
– lack of standardisation
 need to use national data sources