Emmanuel Reynard

• Professor of Geography
• Professor at University of Lausanne

Conserving and sustainably using nature requires transformative change, i.e. a fundamental reorganization of the current social-ecological system and its underlying values. Studies about transformative change increasingly emphasize the importance of the inner world, since it is considered to contain the most transformative leverage points for syste...

In the past, biodiversity research and conservation has often suffered from a narrow focus on either the instrumental or the intrinsic value of biodiversity. Authors and stakeholders from diverse knowledge systems have instead argued for the need to mobilize value pluralism in transdisciplinary approaches. However, the transformative potential of t...

This paper provides a comprehensive assessment of the underground mi- ning heritage and mine tourism in Switzerland, highlighting the significan- ce of show mines (tourist mines). In addition to historical role in the extra- ction of valuable natural resources, mines are integral components of the geological heritage and cultural identity of region...

Many glacial landscapes on all continents are inscribed on the World Heritage List. Due to climate change, most of the glaciers are retreating rapidly, thus questioning their Outstanding Universal Value. This paper clarifies what constitutes the heritage values of glacial landscapes and outlines how the heritage values could evolve in a future with...

Landschaft ist in ihrer Vielfalt eine wichtige Ressource der Schweiz und eng verbunden mit einer guten Lebensqualität. Dennoch wurden die möglichen Veränderungen von Landschaften durch den Klimawandel bislang kaum thematisiert. Dieses Projekt hat Szenarien dazu entwickelt und visualisiert, wie sich der Klimawandel auf die Landschaft auswirken könnt...

Le paysage, dans sa diversité, est une ressource importante pour la Suisse et influence fortement la qualité de vie de l’être humain. Pourtant, les modifications possibles des paysages dues au changement climatique, et par conséquent les impacts sur l’humain, n’ont guère été abordées jusqu’à présent. Ce projet a développé et représenté différents s...

Citation: Calianno, M.; Ben Fraj, T.; Fallot, J.-M.; Abbassi, M.; Ghram Messedi, A.; Ben Ouezdou, H.; Reynard, E. Upstream-Downstream

Addressing sustainability challenges in mountains requires multi-actorcollaboration and interdisciplinarity. Yet, such processes of knowledge co-creation need to account for the existence of diverse representations of mountain socio-ecological systems amongst actors. We build on literature and picture-based interviews with local actors to first exp...

In the context of climate change, hydropower dams and reservoirs are being promoted as mitigation and adaptation tools. The reoperation of dam reservoirs is also being considered, particularly in countries where dams are currently undergoing relicensing procedures. In Switzerland, a country that is often considered to be the water tower of Europe,...

Weather parameters and soil moisture profiles were measured at an hourly time step during four agricultural years (September to October, from 2018–19 to 2021–22) in two Jessour (water harvesting cultivated terraces) of the same valley in Zmerten (southeastern Tunisia), characterized by an arid climate. One instrumented Jesr (singular of Jessour) wa...

Le potentiel éducatif des géomorphosites permet d’identifier des sites et des thématiques qui pourraient être intégrés dans une démarche de médiation scientifique. Cet article décrit le potentiel éducatif de huit paysages géomorphologiques situés dans le Géoparc mondial UNESCO du M’Goun (Haut Atlas central, Maroc). Pour chaque site choisi, plusieur...

The paper reports on a geodiversity assessment method at the local scale based on spatial multi-criteria analysis (S-MCA). The study area consists of two geomorphosites: Derborence and Illgraben, located in the Swiss Alps and representative of different types of morphodynamics. Apart from glacial and fluvial landforms, the morphology of these two s...

ABSTRACT: The hydropower industry is expected to play a central role in the double field olenergy transition and water security, in a context of climate change, increasing pressure on water resources and geopolitical tensions. The role of alpine hydropower infrastructure in the deployment of a multifunctional water management policy needs to be con...

Landscapes combine a physical dimension and intangible aspects related to perception and representation. Agricultural landscapes are the result of a combination of natural (ecological conditions, climate, topography) and agronomic factors (cultivation choices, farming techniques and infrastructure, such as terraces or hydraulic infrastructure), as...

Proglacial areas represent the counterpart of glacial retreat, where a new environmental equilibrium will be reached. During this long and complex stage, which represents the response to ongoing climate change, several abiotic and biotic processes occur in these freshly exposed fragile environments. Proglacial areas, considered as open-air laborato...

This paper has two main objectives: (1) to assess the heritage value of four geomorphological landscapes in Southern Iceland from a geomorphological perspective and (2) to see to what extent the heritage values assigned by different local stakeholders overlap with this assessment. The concept of “geomorphological landscape”, that we define as a lan...

The spectacular landscapes of the site Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch (Bernese Alps), inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2001, are recognised for their high scientific interest in the field of geomorphology. The heritage recognition of their geomorphological characteristics by various actors favours the development of geotourism, a form...

Les paysages spectaculaires du site Alpes suisses Jungfrau-Aletsch (Alpes bernoises), inscrit depuis 2001 sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO, sont reconnus pour leur intérêt scientifique très élevé dans le domaine de la géomorphologie. La patrimonialisation de leurs caractéristiques géomorphologiques par différents acteurs favorise le d...

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has created many initiatives to integrate geodiversity and geoheritage into the management of protected areas through a broader concept of nature. However, many protected areas do not have an inventory of geological sites. In view of this fact, this study aims to discuss the inventory of geo...

Interest in geoconservation has been growing since the 1990s and, therefore, several actions have been taken to integrate geoheritage in scientific research, public policies and nature conservation. In this context, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included many initiatives to integrate geodiversity and geoheritage in a...

The presence of geoheritage of international value is the basis of any candidature as a UNESCO Global Geopark. Within the framework of the elaboration of a roadmap for the creation of a UNESCO Global Geopark in South-East Tunisia, a geological and geomorphological study was carried out. The selected geoheritage can be divided into two main families...

Despite efforts by the scientific community to create a single universal quantitative method to assess geological sites, dozens of methods have been designed and applied around the world with the purpose of assessing geosites with specific interests. Although several studies have already compared quantitative assessment methods with different objec...

Landschaften bilden die räumliche Grundlage des Lebens und sind für uns Menschen gleichzeitig Wohn­, Arbeits­, Erholungs­, Kultur­ und Wirtschaftsraum. Die Qualität von Landschaften lässt sich nur fördern, wenn ihr Nutzen benannt und deutlich gemacht wird. Dies geschieht aktuell in raumrelevanten Projekten viel zu selten. Mit dem partizipativen Ans...

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has created many initiatives to integrate geodiversity and geoheritage into the management of protected areas through a broader concept of nature. Many protected areas, however, do not have an inventory of geoheritage sites. In view of this fact, this study aims to discuss the geoheritage in...

Switzerland’s geomorphological diversity is the result of the combination of (i) a complex geological structure, marked by the prevalence of Alpine orogeny, (ii) Quaternary glaciations, during which Alpine glaciers invaded a large part of the Swiss Plateau and (iii) the country’s climatic diversity, driven by its position in the Alps and the conflu...

Switzerland has a rich and diversified geoheritage. It marks the origin of nature protection in Switzerland, with the earliest protected erratic boulders dating back to 1838. At present, however, the significance of the geological richness and geodiversity of the country is largely unknown in public and political circles. Due to the country’s feder...

Lavaux is a vineyard region located on the northern shore of Lake Geneva, between Lausanne and Vevey. Named a UNESCO World Heritage site as a cultural landscape in 2007, Lavaux testifies to centuries of wine growing and adaptation by man to natural processes. Conglomeratic hard banks and softer sandstones dating back to Oligocene sedimentation of l...

The Joux Valley is located in the Jura Mountains at the border between France and Switzerland. It has a cold damp climate and during the last glaciation, it was covered by a large ice cap, whose decay resulted in a particular esker morphology. The geological structure is characterised by simple concentric folds and conformal structural relief. The...

The Diablerets Massif is a striking structural landscape, rising over 2000 m above the valley bottom of Les Diablerets. The massif makes it possible to observe the complex folded structure of a tectonic nappe, as well as the sharp topographical contrast between the resistant limestone rock walls and the surrounding softer rocks. The area is still g...

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the Landscapes and Landforms of Switzerland. It covers the country’s geological and tectonic context, together with its climatic context, geomorphological history, structural and karstic landscapes, glacial and periglacial landscapes, landscapes with natural hazards, geomorphology and society, and the...

Im N+L-Inside 1/19 wurden Erkenntnisse eines Forschungsprojekts der Universitäten Zürich und Lausanne zum Thema Landschaftsleistungen vorgestellt (Keller et al. 2019a). Der vorliegende Beitrag zeigt auf, wie in der Zusammenarbeit mit verschiedenen Praxispartnern, der Ansatz der Landschaftsleistungen in konkreten Projekten umgesetzt werden konnte. D...

Ecological infrastructure (EI), which is a planned network of high-quality natural and semi-natural elements designed and managed to provide ecosystem services, has the potential to ensure rich and resilient biodiversity. Within the Action Plan for the Swiss Biodiversity Strategy of the Swiss Confederation, the pilot project known as “ValPar.CH – V...

Une analyse par les prestations paysagères est proposée comme complément à l’évaluation des valeurs intrinsèque et d’usage des géomorphosites à forte composante paysagère. L’approche est appliquée à trois géomorphosites de Suisse occidentale inscrits à l’Inventaire fédéral des paysages, sites et monuments naturels (IFP) : Derborence, les Pyramides...

Le processus de patrimonialisation des géopatrimoines a une dimension sociale, mais également des implications territoriales. Les huit articles retenus dans ce volume permettent de dégager quatre enseignements principaux : (i) les géopatrimoines constituent une ressource territoriale dont la patrimonialisation nécessite une reconnaissance sociétale...

In recent decades, research on mountains has become more inter- and transdisciplinary, but a greater effort is needed if such research is to contribute to a societal transformation toward sustainability. Mountain research centers are a crucial actor in this endeavor. Yet, the literature has not paid sufficient attention to how these centers should...

The 16th of June 1818, the failure of the Giétro glacier in the Swiss Alps provoked an outburst flood that devastated the Bagnes valley, causing 34 deaths and major damages to buildings, road system, hydraulic infrastructures and crops. This disaster had a major impact on the economy of the valley and created a great movement of solidarity. It rema...

Mountain regions face important environmental and socioeconomic challenges. They are strongly affected by global warming, and their main economic sectors (agriculture, energy production, and tourism) strive to adapt to this and other global changes. Moreover, in a context of economic globalization, the constraints inherent to mountain regions (slop...

Geoconservation has been growing in importance within the environmental management context. The conservation of geological heritage is being more and more recognised as an essential issue in nature conservation. Inventories of geosites are considered basic steps in geoconservation strategies and constitute a tool to support management considering t...

International water institutions worldwide consider integrated water resources management (IWRM) to be the most sustainable way to manage water. Governments have modified their legal and institutional framework in order to apply integrated water management tools in the river basin. Institutional challenges are common in federations due to complex p...

The Upper Rhone Valley (Valais, Switzerland) has been heavily modified over the past 200 years by human activity and natural processes. A qualitative analysis of the morphological and land-use evolution of the Rhone River floodplain since the end of the eighteenth century was carried out using historical maps from 1780 to 1860 processed with Struct...

In this paper, we quantify the water balance of Jessour at the scale of agricultural plots. Jessour (plural of Jesr) are ancestral hydro-agricultural systems in the Dahar plateau (southeastern Tunisia). They consist of small dams built across wadis and gullies, which retain rainwater and sediments, hence enabling cropping. Despite arid climate cond...

On 16 June 1818, the break-up of a glacial lake dammed by the Giétro Glacier caused a devastating wave in the Bagnes valley, in the canton of Valais (Switzerland), killing 34 people and causing extensive material damage to infrastructure (bridges, roads), housing and agricultural and hydraulic structures, as well as crops and grasslands. The cartog...

The scarcity of rainfall data is one of the main problems affecting the use of hydrological models. Several model satellite-based rainfall estimates (SREs) have been developed to provide an alternative to poorly or ungauged basins. The aim of this work was to evaluate the suitability of SREs for hydrological modeling using a semi-distributed model...

The growing interest in geoconservation is demonstrated, by among others, the numerous site inventories that have been conducted in different countries. The methodological bases of these inventories are still under development, and several proposals representing significant theoretical and practical advances have been published in recent decades. T...

Des approches quantitatives (compteurs, débitmètres) et qualitatives (observation, entretiens) sont combinées pour évaluer la variabilité temporelle et la diversité des usages de l’eau potable sur un territoire donné. Un compromis entre coûts d’installation, temps de relève et résolution temporelle doit être trouvé pour offrir la vision la plus int...

Switzerland uses various instruments to protect and maintain its natural resources and the environment. The federal inventory "Landscapes and Natural Monuments of National Importance" documents 19 percent of Switzerland's land surface. It aims for the permanent preservation or greatest possible protection of these environments. This inventory's rec...

Due to the increase in geoconservation studies, several methods of qualitative and quantitative assessment of geosites have been published since the 1990s. However, the criteria and parameters used in the methods are often unclear and ambiguous. Thus, the aims of this study were to analyse how methods of qualitative and quantitative evaluation of g...

Assessment methods may be used as a tool to contribute to the conservation, use and management of geoheritage. GEOSSIT is a platform developed by the Geological Survey of Brazil (CPRM) to be the national geosites database. The platform was structured based on adaptations of Portuguese and Spanish methods, so it is not a new method. Both qualitative...

RESUMO: O Parque Nacional do Itatiaia (PNI) é a primeira unidade de conservação (UC) instituída no Brasil, em 1937 e localiza-se entre os estados do Rio de Janeiro e Minas Gerais. A área possui relevância geológica associada a (i) rochas graníticas e gnáissicas de idade pré-cambriana, (ii) rochas alcalinas de idade meso-cenozoica, e (iii) depósitos...

Since the 1990s, several studies on geoconservation have been carried out involving inventories and quantitative assessment of geomorphological heritage. Following the increasing number of studies, several assessment methods were developed by various research groups. Despite the large number of published studies, criteria and parameters used in qua...

Im Rahmen eines Forschungsprojekts wurde von den Universitäten Zürich und Lausanne untersucht, welche Auswirkungen die Landschaften von nationaler Bedeutung (BLN) auf das menschliche Wohlbefinden haben. In diesem Zusammenhang wird von sogenannten «Landschaftsleistungen» gesprochen. Darunter werden nicht-materielle Leistungen verstanden (im Gegensat...

Climate and anthropogenic changes are expected to reduce renewable groundwater resources and to increase the risks of water scarcity, particularly in arid regions. Understanding current and future risks of water scarcity is vital to make the right water management decision at the right time. This study aims to analyze the impact of both human and c...

Der vorliegende Bericht enthält Erkenntnisse des Forschungsprojekts «Landschaftsleistungen in Landschaften von nationaler Bedeutung», das im Auftrag des Bundesamts für Umwelt BAFU von den Universitäten Zürich und Lausanne durchgeführt wurde. Der Fokus dieses Berichts liegt dabei auf der Erfassung wahrgenommener Landschaftsleistungen in fünf Pilotre...

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São Paulo metropolitan region experienced an acute water crisis between 2013 and 2015. According to the Brazilian and international press, it was due to climatic, anthropogenic, and water management factors. This paper assesses the hydro-climatic characteristics of the crisis by focusing on the Alto-Tietê basin and the headwater of the Piracicaba-C...

Evolution of water resources of an arid catchment in central Tunisia. This study aims to evaluate the impacts of climate change on renewable groundwater resources. The method consists in estimating renewable groundwater resources and water demands in the current state and at the 2050 horizon under climate change scenarios. Monthly data of temperatu...

Lack of water use data at the user scale is frequently noted in integrated water management and water demand modelling studies. This situation affects particularly mountain tourist areas, where high seasonal water demand related to the variation of temporary population are rarely documented. Irrigation is also a major water use in moutain territori...

Reviewed: À ciel ouvert: Les canaux d'irrigation en pays de Vanoise. By Brien A. Meilleur, Fabrice Mouthon, and Anne-Marie Bimet. Paris, France: L'Harmattan, 2017. 305 pp. € 32.00. ISBN 978-2-343-12063-8.

For the last 20 years there has been a growing interest in the geosciences for topics related to geoheritage: geoconservation, geotourism and geoparks. Geoheritage: Assessment, Protection, and Management is the first and only reference book to cover these main topics as well as the relationship of geoheritage to other subjects such as landscapes, c...

Hydro-climatic changes and the increasing release of pollutants into rivers by human activities tend to affect the quality of watercourses, to alter aquatic ecosystems and to reduce the amount of useable water. The ecological and chemical states of rivers and their evolution is thus of growing concern. In Europe and Switzerland, water policies are...

Geoheritage, which has been studied almost since the 18th century, has been rediscovered by the scientific community during the last 25 years. Although much remains to be done before geoheritage is recognised by society and political authorities, great improvements have been made during the last two decades, both at the research and the management...

An updated and broad perspective of geoheritage, its values and threats, and examples of how it can be protected and managed is presented in the previous chapters by many experts from all conti- nents. Based on the present situation of geoheritage and geoconservation at the international, national and local levels, this last chapter proposes possib...

Cultural landscapes represent one of the best examples of the interaction between human and natural environment and cultural trails are an effective way for their valorization. The Torrent-Neuf (Canton Valais, Switzerland) is a cultural trail realized in 2009 along one of the artificial channels used in the region since Medieval times to move water...

Both the landscape and the cultural values of geoheritage are the result of a perception process by various types of actors (geoscientists, nature conservationists, specialists of heritage protection, policymakers, and the general public). Landscapes are not only an arrangement of physical, biological and human elements; they are also the result of...

The Medjerda River is a transboundary river basin located in Northeast Africa, with 33% of the drainage area in Algeria and its outlet in Tunisia. Within this catchment, Ain Dalia dam was built in Algeria to supply drinking water to the surrounding regions and nine dams were implemented in Tunisia with a storage capacity of 1056Mm3 in 2010. These r...

Geoheritage of the Western Alps: emergence of a territorial resource Among the new categories of heritage identified over the last decades, geoheritage is defined as the array of geological features, dynamics, sites and landscapes that are not only key-indicators of the Earth’s history and functional processes, but that also reflect the interaction...

Urbanization is a global phenomenon and currently more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Studies on geomorphological heritage and the development of specific methods of investigation (assessment, inventories, cartography) are, however, relatively rare and limited. This paper first describes the relationships between urbaniza...

Southeast Tunisia is known for different types of cave dwellings developed for centuries on the Matmata-Dahar plateau. Their formation takes into account the geological and geomorphological context of the sites. They thus provide an interesting example of geoheritage on which was developed an important cultural and architectural heritage. An interd...

Scientific research about geological and geomorphological heritage recently proved to be the base of new opportunities for tourism. The peculiar case of urban landscape analysis offers new frontiers to the traditional urban cultural tourism. The tourism offer based on natural aspects of urban areas is described in this paper thanks to three example...

The central objective of this paper is to show how a geomorphosite inventory can improve the knowledge of geomorphological and geological heritage in developing countries. We propose an inclusive and systematic approach of protection and outreach of the geomorphological heritage based on a geomorphosite inventory. Twenty-one geomorphosites were ide...

Cet article met en évidence les confusions existantes relatives aux termes employés dans les travaux sur les usages de l’eau : besoins, demandes, apports, consommation, prélèvements. Nous proposons un cadre terminologique adapté aux enjeux de la quantification de ces termes, nécessaire au suivi de la gestion intégrée des ressources en eau (GIRE). U...

During the two last decades, numerous inventories of geosites have been carried out at various scales. They aim at documenting the state of the geological heritage, which is the basis for management strategies. In very humanised regions, where the original geomorphology has been highly modified by human infrastructures, agriculture, urban sprawling...

Les variations hydro-climatiques et anthropiques actuelles et prévues dans le futur interrogent sur l’évolution de l’état écologique des cours d’eau. Il est donc crucial de développer des outils prenant en compte les dimensions quantitatives et qualitatives des ressources en eau. C’est le cas du système modulaire gradué proposé par l’Office fédéral...

Pour l’Office fédéral de l’environnement (OFEV), la participation permet d’améliorer la qualité des projets et de favoriser leur acceptation par le public. Afin d’inciter les cantons à mettre en place des processus participatifs, une prestation complémentaire au subventionnement fédéral ordinaire est accordée aux projets de protection contre les cr...

Among the new categories of heritage identified over the last decades, geoheritage is defined as the array of geological features, dynamics, sites and landscapes that are not only key-indicators of the Earth’s history and functional processes, but that also reflect the interactions between abiotic and biotic systems, including the anthroposystem. T...