Olivier Aznar

The production of environmental services in rural areas: institutional sectors and proximities

This paper proposes an analysis of environmental services produced in rural areas and their links with the notions of organised proximity and geographical proximity. Among the different concepts of environmental services, we use that suggested by service economics to focus on the forms of production of environmental services. We define an institutional sector as a group of economic agents and institutions, based on organised proximity, having a precise common purpose. We highlight the different institutional sectors that take part in the production of environmental services. The empirical application, carried out on three rural communities of Auvergne (France), focuses on a particular category of environmental services: the upkeep and management of rural areas. This application reveals the role and the position of different institutional sectors in the production of environmental services.

Governance Across Multiple Levels of Agri-environmental Measures in France

After explaining why agri-environmental measures (AEMs) can be regarded as payment for environmental services (PES), this chapter focuses on the governance issues arising from the introduction of AEMs in France. These issues are examined in several territorial contexts: a metropolitan region (Auvergne) and two overseas regions (Guadeloupe and Reunion). Analysis of the national governance of AEMs highlights the weak communication between the different administrations in charge of agriculture and environment. The design of the AEM instruments was led by a highly centralised administration, in cooperation with the majority farmers’ union, promoting a mass mechanism in favour of farmers. At the regional level, agricultural stakeholders are not yet convinced of the effectiveness of the measures and seek above all to maintain their income. The three case studies underline the strategic role of intermediate actors in the implementation of AEMs at the local level.

Chapter 4: The Saint-Nectaire cheese landscapes: myth or reality?

In France, the landscape is often used to promote local products, like wines or cheeses. The area where it is possible to produce Saint-Nectaire cheese comprises 69 municipalities belonging to two departments. It is a mountainous region with the highest peak of the Massif Central and covers around 18,000 ha. Geologically, volcanic landforms dominate. The south-western part of this area is made up of granitic and metamorphic stones (the Artense plateau). During the last ice age (the Wurm glaciation), large glaciers covered this zone. After their disappearance, less than 18,000 years ago, lakes and peat bogs testify that ice was an extremely powerful agent in the formation of these landscapes. The chapter shows that it is possible to reconcile nature conservation with tourism and grazing, in order to support a distinctive multifunctional landscape. Three conditions are necessary: strong will from local stakeholders, local participation, and EU (laws, subsidies, incentives). Keywords: biodiversity; dams; Europe; Massif Central; metamorphic stones; Saint-Nectaire cheese landscapes; volcanic landforms