Land ownership in the mountains: the importance of “communal” land ownership

The result of the Comon multidisciplinary research project, coordinated by Jean-François Joye (Centre de recherche en droit Antoine Favre, Université Savoie Mont Blanc), Les communaux au ^21e siècle, une propriété collective entre histoire et modernité has just been published by Presses universitaires Savoie Mont Blanc.

The book examines the persistence of collective land ownership, also known by its ancestral name of “communaux”, and its relevance to current environmental, climatic and social issues.

“By giving precedence to use over ownership, and putting exclusive private property at a distance, collective ownership can be a balanced model for managing land, involving residents in decisions that affect their living environment, and spreading values of social cohesion,” explains Jean-François Joye.

In addition to the cases studied in Savoie, many other forms of “land commons” exist or are evolving in France (Pyrenees, Massif-Central, Provence) and elsewhere in Europe (UK, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Albania, etc.).

Order the book on the Presses universitaires Savoie Mont Blanc website