Meeting with Alain Argilier

Can you briefly introduce yourself and give us an overview of your role as communications and tourism officer at the Causse et Cévennes UNESCO Association?

I am Alain Argilier, I have been working at the Interdepartmental Agreement of the Causses and Cévennes as Head of Tourism and Communication since April 2016. I was born in Florac in Lozère and I am passionate about my territory in which I am very involved both at the level of local authorities and at the level of associations.

At the Entente level, in terms of tourism, I am responsible for managing the network of Ambassadors for the Causses and Cévennes, which numbers nearly 200 and is spread across the entire UNESCO World Heritage site, encompassing the four departments included in the inscription: Aveyron, Gard, Hérault, and Lozère. I also implement actions stemming from the management plan related to tourism. For example, I'm thinking of initiatives to foster local community engagement with the UNESCO site, such as creating a hiking guidebook or a manga to reach young people. My work also focuses on promoting the site at various trade shows and events. I have a lot of contact with all the tourism stakeholders in the area, such as the Tourist Development Agencies and Departmental Tourism Committees, the Territorial Attractiveness Agencies and Tourist Offices, the various associations linked to tourism such as the different long-distance hiking trails, and the tourism services of the co-managers of the UNESCO property (Cévennes National Park, Grands Causses Regional Natural Park).

Together with the Grands Sites de France and the CPIE (Permanent Centre for Environmental Initiatives) of the Southern Causses, we also offer each year summer activities related to our inscription on the UNESCO list, as part of the cultural landscapes of Mediterranean agropastoralism.

For the communications side, which is closely linked to tourism, I receive and respond to requests from journalists in print, radio, and television. I also communicate about the actions undertaken by the Entente and manage the Facebook page for "Causses et Cévennes – World Heritage".

What is the role of the Entente?

The Entente has a technical mission. Created in 2012 at the initiative of the four departments involved, it coordinates management actions carried out across the entire UNESCO World Heritage Site by the aforementioned co-managers, ensuring consistency to address the challenges of conserving the Outstanding Universal Value of the site. These landscapes illustrate the strong links between humankind and nature for millennia.

The board of directors of the Entente, currently chaired by Sophie Pantel, President of the Lozère Departmental Council, is composed of representatives from the Aveyron, Gard, Hérault, and Lozère Departmental Councils, which participate equally in its operation. The Entente has been designated as the delegated manager by the State, as the Coordinating Prefect represents it at the French State level. In conjunction with the Coordinating Prefect and partner organizations, we ensure the coordination and management of the site and also manage the use of the UNESCO World Heritage designation for the Causses and Cévennes.

Two other bodies complete the governance of the UNESCO Causses and Cévennes property, in order to guarantee shared management of the territory:

– The Territorial Conference

– The Steering Committee

Why are the Causses & Cévennes listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

The Causses and Cévennes are listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO as a living cultural landscape of Mediterranean agropastoralism.

Spectacular, diverse, and exceptionally vast, the natural environment of this territory, composed of mountains, valleys, limestone plateaus, and gorges, offers outstanding testimony to the intimate relationship between humankind and its environment: the agropastoral culture. The Outstanding Universal Value of the Causses and Cévennes is exemplified by the shaping of this landscape through agropastoral activity. This activity encompasses virtually every type of pastoral organization found around the Mediterranean basin. Today, agropastoral activity is reflected in vast open spaces, remarkable biodiversity, and an ingenious architectural heritage. The humble and discreet human ingenuity associated with agropastoral activity is present throughout the territory: dry stone walls, drovers' roads, sheepfolds, cheese-aging cellars, hydraulic systems, and more.

These are precious witnesses to the construction of this landscape over millennia.

The inscription on the World Heritage List recognizes the work of the inhabitants who have built and preserved this cultural landscape. It highlights the commitment of the local people to preserving this landscape and the dynamism of contemporary agricultural activity that continues to sustain it.

How is a property inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List?

Initially, it was the will of elected officials and local stakeholders who decided to pursue such a project. It takes between 10 and 15 years, or even longer, for a project to culminate in inscription. Here, the ambition was to be included on the list of cultural landscapes. For the World Heritage Committee, cultural landscapes bear witness to the creative genius of humankind, to social evolution, and to the spiritual and imaginative dynamism of humanity. They are part of our collective identity. Once the nomination file is prepared, it is validated by the French State and then by various organizations before being submitted to the World Heritage Committee, which either rejects, approves, or postpones it. After two postponements, the Causses and Cévennes nomination file was approved by the World Heritage Committee on June 28, 2011, as an evolving and living cultural landscape of Mediterranean agropastoralism. To be inscribed, sites must have Outstanding Universal Value and meet at least one of the ten selection criteria. It's a very long process!

How to preserve this item?

This property is very complex because it is very large (3,023 km² for the inscribed area), spanning four departments. It is the largest in Europe in terms of surface area. It has a rich geology with the schistous Cévennes mountains, the limestone plateaus, and the granite mountains (Lozère and Aigoual), and very different habitats, cultures, and agricultural practices depending on the location. But it is agropastoralism that has always linked the people of this entire territory, even though agropastoral activities are themselves diverse (sedentary, transhumant, sheep, goats, cattle, etc.).

Our mission at the Entente is to conserve, preserve, and enhance this property through the implementation of actions outlined in the management plan (we are currently on its third phase). This includes a mission to understand and promote the heritage through an inventory of agropastoral heritage; an agropastoral mission to promote and strengthen the level of pastoralism on farms; a mission to monitor landscapes in the context of climate change and evolving agricultural practices; and an educational, informational, awareness-raising, and promotional mission—all in collaboration with the various stakeholders in the region and co-managers. The management plan is developed following consultations conducted through numerous working groups with the Entente's partners, as well as with the local population. It sets out strategic directions and proposed actions.

Why is it important to be registered?

Inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List contributes to the universal recognition of a monument or territory, and this reinforces the responsibility to preserve it. This is clearly evident today when we see that the tentative list of World Heritage sites, which lists the properties that each State intends to nominate for inscription, continues to grow. In France alone, there are currently 33.

Our inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List contributes to the preservation of our agropastoral cultural diversity, it allows for the development of sustainable, responsible and thoughtful tourism, for the benefit of present and future generations.

Do you have any advice for visitors to discover this cultural heritage and some good practices to help protect this territory?

The UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Causses and Cévennes is prestigious and magnificent in its entirety and in every season. To appreciate it even more, you should meet the people who know it well, such as the tourism ambassadors and also the farmers. It is a site that must be respected. You can discover it by walking on the many hiking trails that crisscross it. It is an inhabited area, where people live and work. There are good practices to be aware of when sharing natural spaces, such as stopping to approach animals, whether alone or in herds, and passing them without frightening them, being careful of livestock guardian dogs (Patous), avoiding damaging the paths, being mindful of fire risks, taking all your rubbish with you, respecting property rights, and not entering private properties, meadows, or any cultivated areas.

We hope that our visiting friends will retain excellent memories of their visit to the UNESCO property of the Causses and Cévennes and we invite them to visit our website to prepare their stay.

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