PhD Thesis of Lisa Ernoul

Entre Camargue et Delta de Gediz: réflexions sur les transferts de modèles de gestion intégrée des zones côtières

Participatory integrated management gained international recognition in Europe with integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) approaches. The movement has spread beyond the European borders and includes the entire Mediterranean basin with the ICZM Protocol under the Barcelona Convention.

This research raises the question on the application of standardized environmental management models (particularly in the context of ICZM) in distinct geopolitical and socio-cultural contexts. The overall objective of this analysis is to improve the implementation and impact of conservation projects through an improved understanding of social, cultural and geographical dimensions. This research analyzes the complexity of socio-cultural perceptions and dynamics of environmental governance within and between sites.

Base lines were established for political and administrative contexts, ecological states and socio-cultural perspectives in two sites (the Rhone delta, France and the Gediz delta, Turkey) to analyze the similarities and differences. Ninety three qualitative and quantitative interviews were conducted using a purposive sampling methodology.

The potential application of integrated participatory management was studied through the lenses of social networks, environmental discourses, and environmental values and perceptions with a geo-governance approach. Using each of these views, we demonstrated that participation is considered,sought and implemented in distinct ways in each site. These differences support the dominant theme of this work: environmental strategies must be adapted to suit site specific contexts. The results are a reminder that we should not overlook local contexts if we want to promote institutional effectiveness.