The concepts of heritage and heritage resource applied to karsts: Protecting the Choranche Caves (Vercors, France)

Abstract

In 2005, French Ministry of Ecology started procedure to inscribe 18 Caves of Chorance into the World Heritage list of UNESCO. The application has to answer to three objectives: the scientific interest, definition of the territory, and to propose the management model. For the first all the heritage sources has to be identified, such as flowstone formations, karst water objects and historical curiosities. This are very important and sensitive questions specially because they have been not answered before the procedure of the inscription started off.