La transition écologique ? Mon œil ! Regards sur le paysage comme révélateur de trajectoires socio-écologiques des territoires (France)
Abstract
In response to the ecological emergency, the authors examine the polysemy of the concept of “ecological transition,” which, although widely used in public policy, often remains vague, disproportionately focused on climate and energy issues, and insufficiently connected to ecology in its naturalistic sense—let alone to landscape. This article proposes considering landscape as a relevant heuristic tool for analyzing the socio-ecological transitions of territories. As a material, sensory, and symbolic object, landscape makes visible the dynamics of territorial transformation, both through its physical forms and the social representations it conveys. The study is based on a comparative analysis of three French territories with contrasting contexts—Strasbourg Eurometropole, Le Mans Metropole, and the Monts d’Ardèche Regional Natural Park—combining interviews, planning document analysis, and geomatic approaches (land use changes from 1950 to 2020). Three major landscape trends are identified: agricultural intensification (Le Mans) and urban and peri-urban artificialization (Strasbourg, Le Mans); and landscape closure linked to rural abandonment (Ardèche). In response to these transformations, the authors identify three types of territorially embedded responses that correspond to landscape bifurcation scenarios: domestication, rewilding through ecological laissez-faire, and active rewilding. Although still marginal in material terms, these responses reflect shifts in social representations of nature and landscape. They reveal tensions between divergent visions of the society–nature relationship, as well as a gradual reconfiguration of public action around a more sensitive and place-based ecology.
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BibTeX
@article{cormier2026transition,
title = {{La transition écologique ? Mon œil ! Regards sur le paysage comme révélateur de trajectoires socio-écologiques des territoires (France)}},
author = {Laure Cormier and Sabine Bognon and Paula Macé Le Ficher},
journal = {VertigO},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.4000/1717r},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4000/1717r},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - La transition écologique ? Mon œil ! Regards sur le paysage comme révélateur de trajectoires socio-écologiques des territoires (France)
AU - Laure Cormier
AU - Sabine Bognon
AU - Paula Macé Le Ficher
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - VertigO
DO - 10.4000/1717r
UR - https://doi.org/10.4000/1717r
AB - In response to the ecological emergency, the authors examine the polysemy of the concept of “ecological transition,” which, although widely used in public policy, often remains vague, disproportionately focused on climate and energy issues, and insufficiently connected to ecology in its naturalistic sense—let alone to landscape. This article proposes considering landscape as a relevant heuristic tool for analyzing the socio-ecological transitions of territories. As a material, sensory, and symbolic object, landscape makes visible the dynamics of territorial transformation, both through its physical forms and the social representations it conveys. The study is based on a comparative analysis of three French territories with contrasting contexts—Strasbourg Eurometropole, Le Mans Metropole, and the Monts d’Ardèche Regional Natural Park—combining interviews, planning document analysis, and geomatic approaches (land use changes from 1950 to 2020). Three major landscape trends are identified: agricultural intensification (Le Mans) and urban and peri-urban artificialization (Strasbourg, Le Mans); and landscape closure linked to rural abandonment (Ardèche). In response to these transformations, the authors identify three types of territorially embedded responses that correspond to landscape bifurcation scenarios: domestication, rewilding through ecological laissez-faire, and active rewilding. Although still marginal in material terms, these responses reflect shifts in social representations of nature and landscape. They reveal tensions between divergent visions of the society–nature relationship, as well as a gradual reconfiguration of public action around a more sensitive and place-based ecology.
SN - 1492-8442
ER -