In the Central Andes, the processes of physical, demographic and sociocultural urbanization have diverse impacts on smallholders who live on the periurban interface between city and countryside. How is urban growth perceived by campesinos who live on the outskirts of mountain cities? How do urban people who live on the new peripheries perceive the impacts of urban growth on smallholders? Using the intermediate city of Huancayo—the most important Andean city of the Central Peruvian sierra—as a case in point, the present study analyzes the quantitative growth of built-up land as well as the change in land cover around the city between 1988 and 2008. Moreover, the study explains the positive and negative impacts as perceived by smallholders living on the outskirts of Huancayo, and reveals the opinions of urbanites from nearby residential zones. The results indicate that urbanites are empathetic toward smallholders; a fact that proves the strong rural–urban interaction in Andean intermediate cities and bears great potential for social inclusion and sustainable development in the periurban zones of Huancayo. / En los Andes centrales, los procesos de la urbanización física, demográfica y sociocultural tienen múltiples impactos en los campesinos que viven en la interfaz periurbana que se encuentra entre la ciudad y el campo. ¿Cómo es visto el crecimiento urbano por parte de  campesinos que viven en las afueras de las ciudades de montaña? ¿Qué percepción tiene la población urbana en las nuevas periferias de los impactos que tiene el crecimiento urbano en los campesinos? Tomando el ejemplo de la ciudad intermedia de Huancayo, la urbe andina más importante de la sierra central del Perú, el presente estudio analiza el crecimiento cuantitativo del área urbana y el cambio la cobertura de suelo en la zona rural-urbana entre 1988 y 2008. Además, en el estudio se explica qué impactos positivos y negativos fueron percibidos por campesinos que viven en las afueras de Huancayo y se revela qué opinión tienen los habitantes urbanos de las zonas residenciales vecinas. Los resultados indican que los habitantes urbanos son empáticos hacia los campesinos. Ello prueba la fuerte relación rural-urbana en las ciudades intermedias andinas y encierra un gran potencial para la inclusión social y el desarrollo sostenible de las zonas periurbanas en Huancayo.

Response of forest succession to agricultural land-abandonment in the Giant Mountains ABSTRACT: Since the end of the 19th century, there is undergoing process of land-abandonment of mountain meadows and pastures in most of the European mountains, including the Giant Mountains. Mountain agriculture in the Giant Mountains was terminated no later than before World War II. Abandoned meadows were then subjected to secondary forest succession. The question is, how fast was this succession and how was its dynamics. My research was focused on 4 areas of interest, located in the vicinity of former mountain huts. Methods applied included the analysis of historical maps and aerial photographs and dendrochronological research of age structure of Norway spruce (Picea abies) stands. The aim of this thesis was to find out the extent of mountain agriculture near the huts and the dynamics of forest succession following land abandonment. Main peaks of seedlings establishment were observed in a very short time (10 - 20 years) following termination of mountain agriculture and in most cases these peaks were further followed by one or two more weaker peaks in the later periods. These peaks became evident in the change maps of forest development with approximately 20 years delay. Forest succession was moving gradually from the...