REPPAVAL

The main goal of REPPAVAL is to analyse socio-spatial issues related to implementation of public policies for ecological river restoration. The proposal is part of recent developments in the regulatory environment (European Water Framework Directive, French Water end Aquatic Ecosystems Law, “Grenelle de l’Environnement”). The increase in projects of rivers restoration (small dam removal for example) and the preservation of wild rivers raises questions about valleys landscape representations. This research project proposes to use the case of small rivers (order = 6 according to the Strahler classification) in order to understand the new social and cultural values that people give to ordinary landscapes. These ordinary river landscapes, still relatively little studied, refer to “small systems”. Their small size provides an opportunity to complete an integrated and comparative study. Through the understanding of relations maintained by different groups of people (local stakeholders, inhabitants, anglers…) to this landscape, this project aims to (1) to offer additional diagnostic approaches to reintegrate temporal and social dimensions within management projects (2) contribute to a more fundamental point of view to thinking about the evolution of representations and social demand on nature and landscape.