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Shared governance
Preservation of a listed property is reliant on a group of stakeholders. The State acts as the guardian of the Loire Valley listing with regard to UNESCO. It must adopt and implement legislation and regulations to safeguard its properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. This responsibility is shared with the local authorities within the site as part of their territorial remit. The local communities, who use the Loire and its valley on a daily basis, also have a role to play.
As World Heritage Convention stakeholder, the French State is accountable with respect to UNESCO. That said, the official listing introduces an element of accountability as regards all the stakeholders concerned by the Loire Valley’s management.
Guidelines
The main guidelines for the site’s management are defined within the Territorial Conference which brings together the French state and Loire Valley local authorities. A technical committee produces the strategy for implementing these guidelines.
The Territorial Conference is tasked with defining the guidelines and approving the Loire Valley World Heritage action plan. It is the principal forum for discussion among the local authorities concerned by the listing.
Its members are:
- French State
- Local authorities within the listed site(regional councils, county councils, metropolises, urban communities, urban area communities, communities of municipalities, municipalities)
- Mission Val de Loire
- Loire Anjou Touraine Regional Nature Park (PNR)
- Établissement public Loire
- Ceser Centre-Val de Loire and Ceser Pays de la Loire
The Territorial Conference is chaired by the coordinating prefect of the Loire basin, in conjunction with the Regions’ Chief Executives and Mission Val de Loire. It meets every 1 to 2 years.
The Inter-regional Technical Committee produces a strategy for implementing the Management Plan and crafts a common culture particularly by bringing together the representatives of the county-level bodies and based on the questions that they will raise in connection with the most sensitive projects encountered.
Its members are:
- French State (Regional prefecture / SGAR, DREAL, DRAC)
- Centre-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire Regions
- Mission Val de Loire
The Centre SGAR (Secretariat-General for Regional Affairs) chairs the Technical Committee. It meets 3 to 4 times a year.
Coordination
Management of the UNESCO site is coordinated by the decentralised directorates (DREAL-DRAC) of the French State, World Heritage Convention stakeholder, and Mission Val de Loire, the network leader and coordinator of the listed site’s stakeholders.
The regional government departments are involved in the overall management of the UNESCO site (since the State is responsible for international conventions), particularly in their spheres of activity.
The Regional Directorate for Cultural Affairs (DRAC) focuses on archaeology, preservation and enhancement of the value of urban and landscape heritage, protection and restoration of historical monuments as well as enhancement of the value of architectural creation and gardens.
The Regional Directorate for the Environment, Spatial Planning and Housing (DREAL) focuses on preservation of landscapes and biodiversity, sustainable spatial planning - urban development in particular - and management of the flooding risks of the Loire and its tributaries.
| Centre-Val de Loire | Pays de la Loire |
|---|---|
| DREAL's website | DREAL's website |
| DRAC's website | DRAC's website |
Mission Val de Loire is an inter-regional joint association supported by the Centre-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire Regions.
It helps to promote appreciation and uptake of the fundamental principles and values of the Loire Valley’s inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List through educational, cultural outreach and communication initiatives. It helps local authorities to take these values into consideration and develops projects raising awareness about and showcasing the Loire Valley’s landscapes and heritage.
Its teams are tasked with sharing information and coordinating the position of the State departments, examining projects that might affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and submitting issues that have been raised to the Technical Committee.
Its members are the decentralised State departments (DRAC, DREAL, UDAP and DDT) and Mission Val de Loire. Other members may be brought on board depending on the issues raised.
The county-level discussion forums are chaired by a representative appointed by each county-level prefect. How they are run is determined in each Département (county).
These discussion forums are held 3 to 4 times a year.
Illustration principale : La préfecture Centre-Val de Loire était aux côtés des régions pour l'ouverture de la rencontre, avec Florence Gouache, secrétaire générale pour les affaires régionales du Centre-Val de Loire.
CC BY-NC-SA Francis Vautier / Mission Val de Loire
CC BY-NC-SA Francis Vautier / Mission Val de Loire