The role of hydrosocial heritages produced by hydrosocial territories in understanding environmental conflicts: The case of Sélune dam removals (France)

Abstract

Dam removal has become one of the most widespread tools for river restoration; however, these projects can be conflictual. Our aim in this paper is to question the disconnection between the ecological project and the territorial project and to evaluate its role in the emergence of conflicts. Conceptually, we draw on a hydrosocial territory perspective to link the sociopolitical and economic context to the production of a new materiality sustained by power relationships. We focus on the removal of two large dams on the Sélune River in Normandy, France, which has fueled a conflict that has lasted for a decade. By combining multiple data sources (semi-directive interviews, focus group, archives), we highlight five successive and overlapping phases since the dams’ construction at the beginning of the 20th century. Each of these periods are characterized by the (dis)empowerment of certain stakeholders, the evolution of the material environment, and the fluctuation of the hydrosocial territory scales. The case of the Sélune highlights the importance of including long-term historical perspectives in the concept of hydrosocial territory, i.e. thinking about hydrosocial heritages. Hydrosocial heritages constitute a new way to approach non-human actors by taking the historical and contemporary relationships between humans and non-humans into account. It also helps situate the dynamics of a conflict in a deeper historical process, revealing how past dynamics shape contemporary situations.

Why does geography matter in big dam removal projects? Lessons from a comparison between the Sélune and Elwha River cases

“…We analyzed the interim documents and final reports delivered by consultants, as well as the rare communication documents produced by the entities promoting the dams' removal . At the same time, we conducted more than 150 semi-structured interviews with local stakeholders (Drapier et al, 2023) to explore the forces driving the conflict and people's attachment to the valley. We also organized two focus groups with local residents, one dedicated to the history of the valley (2018) and the other to its future (2022).…”

“…The main difference between the two basins is the existence of an age-old farming landscapes in the Seĺune Valley, which, like almost all stretches of the European countryside, were established between the Iron Age and the Middle Ages at the latest (Lespez et al, 2015). Today, there are almost 200 dwellings within 500 meters of the former reservoirs (Drapier et al, 2023). These include main residences overlooking the lake, as well as numerous temporary fishing huts, called cabanons, with direct access to the water and, in most cases, a mooring pontoon (Germaine et al, 2016).…”

“…In fact, these works deal with the reasons for opposition (Diessner et al, 2020;Hommes, 2022), and several have examined the arguments for adherence. On the other hand, research on the material dimensions, i.e., landscape configuration and transformation, and the process of space appropriation 1 and place attachment 2 remains rare (Drapier et al, 2023;Gonin et al, 2023).…”

“…By shifting the focus from intrinsic to relational values, relational thinking (Chan et al, 2016;Eyster et al, 2023) invites us to consider more precisely the relationships between human and non-human entities. This approach also situates contemporary projects within the historical trajectory of these relationships (Drapier et al, 2023). In this perspective, the removal of large dams is seen as an opportunity to repair the relationship between people and their environment (Higgs, 2012).…”

Experiencing the landscape: landscape agency in a multifunctional valley after dam removal on the Sélune River, France

“…Furthermore, the sensitive relationship between the river and the variety of visions and actions engendered by the new landscape were not taken into account in the engineering approach to restoration. In fact, many of the actors do not even know the place well, and memories of the river as a running waterway have completely disappeared among the local population, given the age of the dams (Drapier et al 2023). The return of salmon is not a sufficiently strong lever, considering that only a few fishermen still fish this species downstream of the dams (Thomas and Germaine 2018).…”