Sharing the mountains and herding dogs

The mountain environment is a place where humans who do not share the same conceptions of nature cohabit, and where they encounter non-humans. This diversity of actors in the mountains raises questions about the sharing of space, and can lead to conflictual relations.

This thesis is prompted by two phenomena that are changing the dynamics of cohabitation in the mountains: the return of the wolf to the Alps, and the increase in the number of visitors to the mountains. The former is leading to the return of herd protection dogs to the pastoral domestication system, and the latter to more frequent cross-fertilization between pastoral and recreational activities.

The aim of this thesis is to examine the extent to which encounters between the world of pastoral activities and the world of recreational activities modify the way people live in the mountains. A qualitative methodology is favored in order to focus on the experiences and discourses of actors in the field. The thesis focuses on the situations, issues and problems that they experience and that drive them. To bring together a diversity of contexts and profiles, three mountain ranges in two countries are studied: the Ecrins, Belledonne and the Dents du Midi (on the Swiss side).

This thesis is part of a “mirror thesis” program set up by Labex ITTEM and OSUG. The aim of this program is to encourage the interdisciplinary treatment of research questions by inviting two PhD students to collaborate throughout their thesis. Perle Charlot, in ecology, and myself, in socio-geography, as well as our respective supervisors, are working together to build bridges between our disciplines and subjects.

As part of her thesis, Noémie Bailly took part in the conference Encore une transition? Les territoires de montagne face aux changements socio-environnementaux organized by Labex ITTEM on December 1 and 2, 2022. Her presentation – with Agathe Robert and Chloé Vial Pailler – was entitled ” Les conflits dans les stations des alpes françaises: De l’injonction à la transition à la mise au jour des rapports de domination” .

As an extension of the thesis, the Pam CPT project – Mountain Sharing and Herd Protection Dogs – aims to strengthen collaboration between research and land management. The aim will be to gain a better understanding of the interactions between these practices, in order to work with land managers on solutions to reduce conflicts. To achieve this, complementary observations will be carried out in the Vercors, to monitor tourist events related to pastoralism. Researchers specializing in these issues will also be called upon to consolidate the results of the thesis work and provide an insight into other regional contexts. Finally, there will be plenty of time for exchanges with pastoral services.