Symposium Traditional irrigation heritage and the challenges of water and irrigation systems in the Mediterranean area :
28-29-30 of April 2025
Nice - Saint Martin Vésubie (Alpes maritimes, France)
Traditional irrigation systems were inscribed onto the UNESCO's Representative List of he Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2024 for their abundance of knowledges and skills. Nowadays, its practice is source of conflict. This practice is at the same time rejected for being old fashioned, at the same time, accused to lead to an abusive management of water and celebrated like a pillar of common heritage whether natural heritage, landscapes or agroecology. This opposition illustrates the difficulties the ecological transition has to face, torn between scientifical and technical expertise. In this context, the use of indigenous knowledge and skills has demostrated to be a beneficial and constructive ally to set up strategies in the spirit of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.
Is there any relation between traditionanl irrigation systems, intangible culural heritage and the urge to promote the resilience of the Mediterranean area? How can these knowlmedges and skills contribute in the actions tackling climate change and loss of biodiversity?
This first symposium aims to lay the base of an Mediterranean solidarity network amongst the different stakeholders of the traditional irrigation. To share and to consolidate a commun data base will promote the setting of local oriented strategies as well as the rational water management and supply the communities with tools to preserve their natural, cultural, economical and food heritage. The edition of the Charter of good practices as a result of the workshops will materialize this solidarity commitment.
The university of Granada (Spain) will host the second edition in 2026, the university of Algarve (Portugal) the third in 2027, the universities of Morocco the fourth in 2027 and so on…
The symposium opens its doors Monday morning at 8.30 am and will cose them again Wednesday at 12.30 am. The conferences and workshops are held in both "La Maison des Sciences de l'Homme" (Nice) and in the Salle Jean Grinda (Saint Martin Vésubie). For whose who can not come, you still can follow both the keynote and invited speakers as well as the workshops in live broadcasting. Live or on line. Registration is possible for half days, full days or the three days package. The registration on line is now open.
April 28 - 29 - 30, 2025
Nice, Alpes Maritimes, Maison des Sciences, de l'Homme et de la Société Sud-Est, Campus universitaire Saint Jean d'Angély
Saint Martin: site visites and Salle Jean Grinda (April 29, 2025)
In December 2023, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage evaluated favorably the nomination proposed by seven European States Parties (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Switzerland) for inscription of their traditional irrigation systems on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Convention 2003). In June 2023, the French Ministry of Culture encouraged the national traditional irrigation communities to prepare a request for extension to join the communities from the original nomination. Four other countries (Greece, Maroc, Portugal and Spain) have joined France to edit and submit the required multinational nomination file in March 2026.
History has demonstrated that prior to the twenty-first century Mediterranean local communities have made use of these widespread traditional irrigation schemes to face past challenges such as climate change and rise in the population as well as to build the praised current Mediterranean landscapes. However, nowadays, the communities using traditional irrigation schemes are diminishing as the use of the former has been drastically and widely condemned.
If one of the mandatory criteria to be included on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage is to be “constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history .…” (article 2 - Convention 2003) and if the Committee has evaluated favorably this criteria, how does it come that the traditional irrigation struggle to find their place and function in the twenty-first century? Did all the benefits they carried disappear? Do they contribute in no way to the Mediterranean landscape heritage, biodiversity, agriculture, or the communities’ quality of life? I
Are traditional irrigation and its practices a tool worth to assist Mediterranean local communities to face both the climate, biodiversity and demographic challenges of this 21st century ? And if yes, in which way ? which means are needed? These are are the core questions we expect researchers and speakers to answer. Patrimonial, ecological but also legal, technical and economical considerations will be sgared in this forum to build a constructive Thinkpad useful to decisions makers and to the stakeholders engaged in developing agriculture, economical, ecological and conservation strategies to promote the resilience of their territory and to protect or restore the richness of the unique Mediterranean landscape heritage.
A high quality programme welcomes you for all three days. The symposium is divded into five intense half days. Each one proposes plenary sessions that will incorporate keynote speakers, a serials of paralell sessions with 15 minute oral presentations and a round table event. Further you will be able to attend two workshops which aim is to edit the first charter of good practices. You will also discover the typical traditionnal irrigation in the Vésubie valley and an exhibition on Mediterranean traditional irrigation systems.
Session 1 : Monday, April 28, 2025 from 8:30 am to 12:30 : Crossed perceptions : traditionnal irrigation and water challenges
Session 2 : Monday, April 28, 2025 from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm : Local communities : from a diversity of management models to new environmental oriented schemes
Session 3 : Tuesday, April 29, 2025 from 8:30 am to 12:30 : Discovering the canal system in the upper Nice region : its specificity, what is at stake economically and socially, what might become of it in the future.
Session 4 : Tuesday, April 29, 2025 from 1.30 pm to 6.30 pm : Crossed perspectives Mediterranean - upper Nice region
Session 5 : Wednesday, April 30, 2025 from 9 am to 12.30 am : The weight of knowledge within strategies setting promoting resilience and an actual sustainable development.
Programme can be downloaded here : download Please note that it might still have some modifications. Thank you for your forthcoming.
Online registration covers exclusive live broadcasting of the plenary sessions, round tables and workshops. In regard to the 15 minutes presentations, you can follow exclusively session 1 - 3 - 6.
Please note that we can only accept online registration.
Online registration is open until April, 24 2025.
Plkease note that it is possible to follow in live-streaming the conferences only and the 15 minutes presentation within the session 1 - 3 - 6. If you could please provide us with the email address you will use to connect you in order to allow us to identify your email address and make sure both that it will be accepted and that it will not be hiked. This is the reason why we need you to register before Apeil, 24. We thank you very much for your understanding.
Please use one of the following payment modes :
For further questions contact
We ask you kindly to forward your registration form exactly as explained on this web site. Otherwise due to the great number of registration, we may not be able to give full attention to your request. We decline any liability should you prefer another way and form of sublmission whatever the reason may be.
Please use the opposite form for your registration and be particularly careful in providing us with all details for your identification. Be sure that your address, phone and mail are correct. We cannot be held responsible for any problem that may arise in case we cannot get in touch with you due to incorrect data.
Closing dates for registraton : please check above.
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Nice Airport is located 15 minutes from the center of Nice. A frequent tram service (Ligne Azur) runs downtown from either Terminal 1 or Terminal 2.
To learn more about:
Nice Central Station is in the heart of the city. Bus and tram connections are available to join your overnight accommodation and the event.
To learn more about :
MSHS Sud-Est
Bâtiment recherche - Saint Jean d'Angély 3
25 avenue François Mitterrand - 06300 Nice - France
By car : please find the different options on the map : MSHS Sud-Est
By tram services :
We suggest that you use carpooling.
The Deck Hotel by Happy Culture is the official partner of the symposium. This 4 star hotel, located in the center of Nice, is in close walking distance of the Promenade des Anglais at 2 rue Maccarini - 06000 Nice
Access to the hotel from the Airport : take line 2 direction "Port Lympia" and get out at the station "Jean Médecin". You need then to walk about 10 minutes before arriving at the hotel.
Access to the hotel from the central rail station : Go out of the raulstaton and turn on the left hand side. Go to the station "Gare Thiers". Take the line 1 direction Hôpital Pasteur and get out at the station "Jean Médecin". You need then to walk about 10 minutes before arriving at the hotel.
For further information and to book : Deck Hotel by HappyCulture
For other hotels, please go to : Office de tourisme Nice Côte d'Azur
There are plenty of small scnacks around the MSHS building happy to welcome you.
Nothing is planned for the evenings of Monday, April 28. You are free to choose out of a great number of restaurants in Nice.
For the night of Tuesday April 29, 2025 we suggest you join us for a dinner buffet in Saint Martin Vésubie. Reservation and advance payment online.
Please feel free to contact us for any further information :
mail :
phone : +33(0)783.310.776 Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM
Editing and contents of this site under the sole responsibility of Mirjam Neu.
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