Hydroélectricité et conflits paysagers dans la montagne pyrénéenne du début du xxe siècle à la création du parc national

Abstract

This article proposes, based on a case study in the Central Pyrenees (Vallée de Cauterets), a study of the history of the protection of landscapes through the role played by the exploitation of hydro-electric resources in the emergence of landscape conflicts and an increased desire to protect the landscape. It focuses on the first two thirds of the 20th century, a high moment in hydro-electric development in French mountain areas, and a period about which little is known in the history of landscape policies. It is during this period that, in Cauterets, the landscape became a part of local political action and a key element in the project for the development of the valley.

Keywords

• hydro-electricity
• protection of the landscape
• landscape conflicts
• Cauterets
• Hautes-Pyrénées