La gestion publique de la nature littorale, en quête de légitimité ? L'exemple du Conservatoire du Littoral sur les rivages guyanais

Open Access

Abstract

Colloque non encore publié ; First results of a CNRS research program about ecological engineering operation which took place in 2007-2009, this text deals with nature management on the French Guyana coast and focuses on the Conservatoire du Littoral (CL), a public agency in charge of the protection of coastal areas. Since its creation in 1975, the CL has become the first landlord of coastal zones in all the French territories, protecting natural areas and landscapes in most cases from urbanisation. Dealing with local stakeholders to undertake nature management in its properties, the nature management system initiated by the CL is a mix between top-down and bottom-up territorial action. In a context of a falling public authoritary, the Guyana coast gives the opportunity to study how the CL is dealing with local stakeholders when political and cultural issues are very far away from its own 2005-2050 long term strategy initiated in the French metropolis. Even though the CL's legitimacy is defined by the state laws, its action is sometimes made difficult by a dynamic demography, identity struggles, cultural complaints and international scale ecological issues, limiting the social acceptance and actual realisation of nature protection and management. Nevertheless, the public agency keeps re-assessing its legitimacy in the local context, and shows its own ability not only to keep the system working – however difficult the relation with stakeholders may be – but also to build a pragmatic and original project. Indeed, the management and development plan analysis and the stakeholders' discourse database reveal the beginning of a governance under construction. In order to reinforce the social acceptance of nature protection, natural areas are often proposed as public spaces where ecotourism practices are systematically promoted. But is that model ecologically and socially efficient? ; Cet article s'attache à restituer les principaux résultats d'une recherche financée en 2007-2009 dans le cadre d'un programme ...