Grands propriétaires face à la gestion publique de la biodiversité au sein du parc naturel régional de Camargue

Abstract

This paper presents my contribution to an interdisciplinary study of large landowners in the Camargue initiated by the Tour du Valat Research Centre for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands. As repositories of a rich natural environment these landowners are the main target of conservation policies in this protected area. To find solutions to halt the loss and degradation of natural habitats, my study aimed initially to assess the gap between the representations and management of biodiversity by the landowners and the type of management advocated by the conservation actors in the Camargue Regional Park. This led to identifying a conflict between the private landowners and public actors of nature conservation regarding the control of the Park, with a resulting serious handicap for an efficient integrated management. In analyzing the conflict, there emerged three profiles of landowner relationship with their land: those who consider it as an economic investment, those who consider it as a farming inheritance, and those who view it essentially as a place for leisure. In conclusion the study showed that despite conflicting positions, a discussion is possible, however, between ecologists and conservation managers on the one hand and some land owners on the other, who for different reasons view their heritage as common heritage. © NSS-Dialogues, EDP Sciences 2014.