Enjeux et gestion des milieux humides. Les étangs asséchés de la vallée de l’Hérault au cours du dernier millénaire

Stakes and Management of Wetlands. Drained Ponds in the Hérault Valley during the Last Millenium. Environmental management by Medieval societies is a major concern of Languedocian history even if still poorly studied. The drainage of ponds in the Hérault Valley is undertaken through two case studies that illustrate the risks and particularities of these local landscape management activities. The impacts of these activities on the landscape, on agriculture and on society are not limited chronologically to the period defined by traditional historiography. Throughout the Old Regime, the 19th century, and even today, the drained ponds of Cassan and Montdardier represent specific land areas that since the Middle Ages did not stop at obliterating and prolonging the parcel fabric. The uniqueness of ancient ponds is evident in the manner by which they were owned and valued

Archaeology · Geography · Middle Ages · Wetland · Ecology · Forestry · Historical and Environmental Studies · Water management and technologies