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UNESCO Chair project "Rivers and Heritages"

Application form for a "Rivers and Heritages" UNESCO Chair

Published on 30 October 2012 - Updated 09 November 2012
Cet article date d'il y a plus de 12 ans

International cooperation, Training and research, Mission Val de Loire

The chair project stems from a partnership between François Rabelais University in Tours, Angers University and the Mission Val de Loire, the organisation which manages the Loire Valley site listed as a world heritage. The chair is thus part of the policy for outreach and sharing expertise in managing river valleys conducted by the Centre and Pays de la Loire Regions. UNESCO's response is expected this autumn.

The chair will bring together natural sciences and societies to promote cross-disciplinary studies and training on rivers and river heritages as a heritage for humanity, reservoirs of biodiversity and places of cultural convergence. The point is to create an international synergy through the exchange of North/South/South exchanges between universities and management organisations in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia.

The research will look both at (a) the ecological functioning of river systems under the influence of development techniques and (b) landscapes as a result of continuous interactions between societies and their environment. The knowledge acquired will form the basis of a transfer, to developers/managers, of skills in the sustainable management of natural resources, preservation of biodiversity and enhancement of landscapes. Activities include Master's modules, workshops, discussion between scientists and the development of scientific projects and dissemination (publications, website, guides).

The university departments more specifically involved in this project are the Engineering of Aquatic Environments and River Territories Department (IMACOF) at Tours University, and the Geography Department and Laboratory of Environmental Research in Anthropised Systems (LEESA) at Angers University.