Circular Economy and its Integration in the Mountain Economy

Abstract The actual economic development is increasingly conditioned by the environment and resources. Reducing the impact of human activities on the environment and decreasing the pressure on natural resources are requirements that can be achieved by adopting a circular economy, in order to replace the economy based on a linear process of production and consumption. The concept of circular economy is strongly used, both in Europe and worldwide, but, apart from a few practical models, the rest is limited to ideas and concepts. The aim of this article is to enhance to the scientific research of the circular economy and its impact on the mountain economy, especially on biodiversity. First of all, this article will focus on the definition of the circular economy, from the point of view of the sustainable development of the mountain area in Romania, and, secondly, this paper adopt a critical analysis of the concept, from the perspective of biodiversity. Considering that there are a lot of theories on the international level that argue and prove the potential of the circular economy, we refer to a few national models of circular economy, as landmarks, to support its application in the Romanian mountain area.