As discussed in the introduction, exodus from mountain areas led to a rethinking of development models in order to account for their fragility and economic weakness. These development models were not to be taken from the experiences of strong areas of the country, for example urban areas, but were to consider the specific characteristics of mountain areas, which would lead to the emergence of potential for local development. The establishment of Mountain Communities answered these needs wherever valorisation of mountain areas needed to envisage the participation of local populations.
Mountain Communities were assigned an active role in environmental maintenance, that is in supporting and valorising mountain farming. This is carried out especially through interventions to compensate for hydrogeological balance, once carried out by traditional mountain farming.
The Mountain Communities can motivate (Note 1) the rationale of use for pasture land, contribute to the recovery of abandoned farmland, take care of the maintenance of rural infrastructure, guarantee the stabilisation of slopes and the maintenance of waterways, as well as the care of woodland topsoil.
A wide range of interventions can also be carried out directly by the Mountain Communities. These interventions propose a development model in harmony with the multifunctional needs of agriculture, an objective strongly promoted by recent EU policy.
These interventions, as well as guaranteeing the territory's maintenance through precise works, guarantee the consolidation of supplementary activities which favour farmers. They are also aided by a Regional Law (Note 2) by which institutions can assign them the task of carrying out works and services for the protection and valorisation of the environment and landscape.
As well as representing a development model specifically for mountain areas, the interventions have an important role for tourism, especially in areas where there is a constant presence of tourists and environmental maintenance work is therefore top priority.
The regional Servizi Forestali, or Forestry Corps, also intervene in the fields of hydrogeological defence, soil conservation and the improvement of woodland and natural environment.
These interventions are mainly structural as they affect the functions of the water catchment area, independently of the administrative borders of local authorities, while those carried out by the Mountain Communities and Municipalities are considered supplementary or detailed actions.

The protection of mountain catchments is carried out by stabilisation and stream flow control works. Although they are separate, these two kinds of work have to be coordinated, i.e. not carried out independently of each other. They are mainly interventions extended over the whole catchment, to protect and control water flow, as well as slope stability, as much as possible. "Light" techniques are applied, ones that respect the environment as much as possible and systematically use bioengineering methods (where the features of the damage allow this).
The main aim is to improve the conditions of mountain catchments and prevent erosion, create new woods and improve existing ones, prevent damage to pastureland, attend to landslides and manage streams.
On the whole these are usually precise works, which are not immediately visible and the workforce needed is considerable. In fact it is essential to directly intervene on the territory where care and recovery is of prime importance. Until now the Veneto mountains have been only slightly affected by serious events caused by hydrogeological damage with its tragic repercussions; this is due to the presence of the technical and forestry structures of the various administrations involved. Year after year they have ensured constant protection and care of this fragile and delicate aspect of the territory.
Another aim of the management of mountain catchments is the improvement of water management on the plain.
Hydrogeological disorder in mountain catchments leads to an increase in solid materials which are carried downstream by streams and rivers. These can end up on the river beds, causing a sudden rise in the channel, with the consequent increase in risk that banks might break and lead to devastating floods. Water and forest management works concentrate on the control of solid load, often the most dangerous phenomenon, thereby guaranteeing efficient woods and streams.
The mountain areas' poor ability to contain rainwater leads to a rise in water levels and the risk of devastating floods.
The management of a mountain catchment is not only of local importance where benefits are felt only where the work is carried out, as it also affects the whole waterway down to its mouth.
The aim of these works is to maintain a state of balance, albeit artificial, along the full extension of the catchment.
Hydrogeological defence works have a fundamental role in soil conservation. The Direzione Foreste and the Servizi Forestali Regionali are responsabile for the conservation and maintenance of catchments, the programming of interventions and the study of new defence structures.
Hydrogeological management, soil conservation, protection of coasts, and the preservation and maintenance of existing works are of vital importance in Veneto. They are financed as public works in water-forestry management and woodland improvement interventions (Note 3).
Each catchment, even the smallest, is characterised by its own parameters. Work in this sector conforms to the general criteria of the priority of continuation, as does, as far as possible, the organic and integrated completion of the water-forestry management of each Hydrographical Unit and catchment. This is done within financial limits without necessarily neglecting control of the most serious damage, which is potentially capable of reaching uncontrollable proportions.
The Servizi Forestali traditionally work autonomously to plan works, procure materials and employ expert forestry workers.
There is a total of 600 forestry workers, most of whom have a temporary contract. The remainder, on the other hand, have permanent contracts and are usually more qualified and specialised for the works carried out. Their work is necessary throughout the year for maintenance and organisational work during the winter, to prepare for the coming working season.
Management work is characterised by two main components: the need to guarantee the safeguarding of higher or public interest to avoid "[...] terrains of any nature and use [...] undergoing removal of vegetation, loss of stability or disturbance of water flow" (Note 4), and the speed with which work is carried out. This is nearly always a decisive factor in its success. In difficult environmental conditions which are often hit by severe weather, works are considered "urgent" even in a context of ordinary planning and efficiency.
On the other hand, the experience gained by organisations over the years has taught that often the orography of the territory, the situation of the works and the type of damage needing attention, make it impossible to set up a work site in the traditional sense. Moreover it would not be possible to find contractors prepared to work within an acceptable budget. In these situations, the prompt intervention of the Amministrazione Forestale, as well as permitting the monitoring and solution of the specific problem, makes it possible to avoid the degeneration of the situation which, if neglected, could result in higher costs with results with possibly unsatisfactory results.
These means of carrying out maintenance are extremely useful as they show the considerable flexibility of the organisation and of the management of the work sites, with particular reference to the maintenance needs of existing works.
What is more, a higher speed of spending of allocated resources can be seen: the Public Administration is able to carry out necessary works, but these may not be cost effective for conventional contractors. The remarkable economy of scale deriving from the progressive awareness and experience developed by experts also ensures on-site training and knowledge transfer.
Finally, it should be remembered how a summer-autumn working period favours the stay of workers in the mountains as a further alternative occupation, which should be integrated with other opportunities for employment offered by tourism in the winter.