World Heritage Identification Number: 1153
World Heritage since: 2011
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Agriculture Landscapes, Parks & Gardens
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇫🇷 France
Continent: Europe
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean Agro-Pastoral Cultural Landscape: A Millennia-Old Relationship Between Man and Nature
The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean Agro-Pastoral Cultural Landscape is a remarkable testament to the longstanding symbiotic relationship between humans and their natural environment. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, this expansive region spanning over 302,319 hectares in central France offers a unique insight into the intricate balance between agriculture, livestock rearing, and the physical landscape.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
This 302,319 ha property, in the southern part of central France, is a mountain landscape interspersed by deep valleys that is representative of the relationship between agro-pastoral systems and their biophysical environment, notably through drailles or drove roads. Villages and substantial stone farmhouses on deep terraces of the Causses reflect the organization of large abbeys from the 11th century. Mont Lozère, inside the property, is one of the last places where summer transhumance is still practiced in the traditional way, using the drailles.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (iii): The Causses and the Cévennes, manifest an outstanding example of one type of Mediterranean agro-pastoralism. This cultural tradition, based on distinctive socialstructures and local breeds of sheep, is reflected in the structure of the landscape, especially the patterns of farms, settlements, fields, water management, drailles and open grazed common land and what it reveals of the way this has evolved, in particular since the 12th century.The agro-pastoral tradition is still living and has been revitalisedin recent decades.
Criterion (v): The Causses and the Cévennes can be seen as an exemplar of Mediterranean agropastoralism and specifically to represent a response common to the south-west of Europe. The landscape areas manifest exceptional responses to the way the system has developed over time and particularly over the past millennia.
Encyclopedia Record: Causses and Cévennes
The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the southern part of central France with over three millennia of agro-pastoral history.Additional Site Details
Area: 302,319 hectares
Number of Components: 1
(v) — Outstanding example of traditional human settlement
Coordinates: 44.2202777778 , 3.4730555556
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© Myrabella, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
