Comparaison de projets de démantèlement d’obstacles en travers en Europe et aux Etats-Unis

International audienc

How to Better Involve Stakeholders in River Restoration Projects: The Case of Small Dam Removals

Dam removal represents one of the most emblematic operations of the ecological restoration of rivers. Developed in the United States of America in the 1990s, dam removal has become a major practice to achieve the “good ecological status” of water bodies required by the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD) in France. However, ecological continuity restoration is often conflictual and controversial because of the resistance from inhabitants. Based on two case studies of small dam removal projects located in Europe and US regulatory contexts, this chapter focuses on stakeholders. The aim is to demonstrate how the consideration of all people involved in these operations help overcoming potential conflicts. We consider here not only river users such as anglers or paddlers but also inhabitants and landowners who managers frequently neglect because they don't have an identified representative. By analyzing the way various stakeholders were listened to and their expectations taken into account, we highlight the necessity to open the project design definition to all users to guarantee an enrichment of the project and a better involvement of inhabitants

Information sharing with residents in dam removal: questioning the institutional framework in France and in the USA.

International audienc

Politique environnementale et territoire : le démantèlement des ouvrages hydrauliques en France à l’épreuve du modèle nord-américain

International audienc

Information sharing with residents in dam removal: questioning the institutional framework in France and in the USA.

International audienc

The role of hydrosocial heritages produced by hydrosocial territories in understanding environmental conflicts: The case of Sélune dam removals (France)

International audienceDam removal has become one of the most widespread tools for river restoration; however, these projects can be conflictual. Our aim in this paper is to question the disconnection between the ecological project and the territorial project and to evaluate its role in the emergence of conflicts. Conceptually, we draw on a hydrosocial territory perspective to link the sociopolitical and economic context to the production of a new materiality sustained by power relationships. We focus on the removal of two large dams on the Sélune River in Normandy, France, which has fueled a conflict that has lasted for a decade. By combining multiple data sources (semi-directive interviews, focus group, archives), we highlight five successive and overlapping phases since the dams’ construction at the beginning of the 20 th century. Each of these periods are characterized by the (dis)empowerment of certain stakeholders, the evolution of the material environment, and the fluctuation of the hydrosocial territory scales. The case of the Sélune highlights the importance of including long-term historical perspectives in the concept of hydrosocial territory, i.e. thinking about hydrosocial heritages. Hydrosocial heritages constitute a new way to approach non-human actors by taking the historical and contemporary relationships between humans and non-humans into account. It also helps situate the dynamics of a conflict in a deeper historical process, revealing how past dynamics shape contemporary situations