From World Heritage to a Loire people

Learn about the river’s recent history, in light of growing awareness of its role and the close links that unite all the living things that the Loire welcomes. From the doctrine to control the river in the 18_^th century and the campaign for a Living Loire in the late 1980s to the emergence of the concept of a common heritage of humanity and the advent of a Loire people, a history and landscape in common are outlined, which Étienne Davodeau agreed to illustrate.

Du patrimoine mondial au peuple de Loire

Domestiquer le fleuve

Should dykes be erected or the river be allowed to overflow? Drawn up in the 19^th century by the engineer Comoy, the protection doctrine combining different approaches is still applied to this day.

From World Heritage to a Loire people

Building dams, building resistance

Should we build dams or build resistance to them? The protests that grew in the late 1980s put paid to the attempts to wrest control of the river.

From World Heritage to a Loire people

A wild Loire?

A direct outcome of the campaign against the Serre de la Fare dam, in the late 1980s, the Plan Loire Grandeur Nature balances protection of the local community with respect for the river dynamics.

Du patrimoine mondial au peuple de Loire

Un barrage contre la guerre

Comprising cultural and natural properties, the roots of the UNESCO World Heritage List can be traced back to 1959 and the safeguarding of the Abu Simbel temples, which were endangered by the construction of the Aswan dam.

From World Heritage to a Loire people

Landscape as a monument

The UNESCO listing of the middle Loire region resonated strongly with the campaign previously won in Serre de la Fare. Both movements advocated for the idea of preserving a common river where humans live alongside non-humans.

Du patrimoine mondial au peuple de Loire

Vers un peuple de Loire

Progressing from the status of master, then user, to guardian of a river is by no means straightforward. So that the Loire is no longer seen merely as a disposable resource, and to question our role among the living organisms that depend on the river, we need to chart a new course.