Chaîne des Puys - Limagne fault tectonic arena

The Department of Puy-de-Dôme is in charge of the management of the World Heritage site in close collaboration with the State services and the Parc des Volcans d´Auvergne. The Department and the Park have pooled their staff to ensure day-to-day management of the site (IUCN Consultation, 2020b). The 2015-2020 management plan for the site was developed and submitted as part of the World Heritage nomination dossier (State Party of France, 2017). It was developed in addition to other local tools for the protection of natural heritage and spatial planning (ENS, Natura 2000, etc.). The original management plan was developed following consultations between 2010 and 2012 involving local and national institutions, socio-professional actors, inhabitants and scientists. The stakeholders drew up the diagnosis, defined the management priorities and proposed actions to preserve the property on the basis of prior reflections by a scientific and technical group. Steering is ensured by an Executive Committee led by the Puy-de-Dôme General Council. This Committee is supported by a Local Commission, a Technical Committee, a World Heritage Mission, a Monitoring Unit and a Permanent Scientific Council. The Management Plan is built around three axes: (1) preservation of the integrity of the geological heritage, (2) management of tourist numbers and maintenance of local economic activities and (3) sharing of knowledge and detailed in precise and prioritised operational sheets. Overall, the management system makes good use of stakeholder engagement, adequate staffing levels, and regulatory authority. Concerns noted by the World Heritage Committee at the time of inscription recommended increased legislative authority for protection in some areas and noted the limited times for regulatory protections ending in 2020 (IUCN, 2018; World Heritage Committee, 2018). A new 2021-2027 management plan has been developed and is in the process of being validated. It is reported to be part of the continuity of management actions to guarantee the geological, natural and landscape integrity of the site while supervising and structuring human activities including tourist attendance (IUCN Consultation, 2020a,b). The three initial axes are maintained and new subjects include the preservation of biodiversity, the creation of a landscape plan, and a study of the areas of landscape influence. The plan includes cross-cutting issues of preserving the integrity of geological buildings and associated landscapes, respect for biodiversity and climate change (IUCN Consultation, 2020b). The plan remains to be finalised and made publicly available.

The new 2021-27 management plan is being finalised (IUCN Consultation, 2020b) and it remains to be confirmed to what degree management effectiveness has been monitored and evaluated since inscription, and how it is incorporated into the new plan.

The boundaries of the site meet the requirements of the World Heritage Convention (IUCN, 2018), following the exclusion of the two quarries from the original nomination in response to concerns about the unusual configuration of the boundaries and inclusion of heavily modified landscapes. Overlapping private, state, and common ownership require a high degree of stakeholder and park staff input and education to properly manage boundaries.

At the time of inscription, the World Heritage Committee noted the need to strengthen the level of protection applying to the Montagne de Serre area of the site (World Heritage Committee, 2018). Overall, the site is integrated into the territorial planning processes at local scale, however, links to the planning processes at regional or national scale are not mentioned in the current management plan.

Local communities and stakeholders were involved in the preparation of the current 2015-2020 management plan for the site and engagement of local stakeholders in the management of the site is one of the key priorities identified in the management plan (State Party of France, 2017).

The protection of the site is ensured by a national legislative framework, regulatory documents for land use planning and local operations implemented by various actors from the local to national level. In particular, the Chaîne des Puys has been protected by decree since 2000 as a classified site. The site is part of the Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Natural Park and includes Natura 2000 sites and Sensitive Natural Areas. A biotope decree on the Narse d'Espinasse, a regional nature reserve (cheires and caves of Volvic), also exists. Following concerns raised at the time of inscription that one of the key areas of the site, the inverted relief of the Montagne de la Serre, falls outside the "site classé/inscrit" designation (IUCN, 2018), the government is in the process of assessing the potential classification of this area as a "site classé" (IUCN Consultation, 2020a).

There is a good level of park staffing and financial commitment for the site (World Heritage Committee, 2018; IUCN, 2018).

Since inscription of the site in 2018, the government has expressed its commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Committee. Reported progress of actions taken to date include initiation of the process to close one of the two quarries, development of a new management plan, as well as a reflection on the conditions aimed at strengthening the tools and the protection regime for the Montagne de la Serre sector (IUCN Consultation, 2020b).

Some concerns were noted at the time of inscription related to agriculture, quarrying, and increased visitation (World Heritage Committee, 2018), but protections should be in place for these, once the State Party implements the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee. Since 2008, a French "Opération Grand Site" has been aimed at enhancing and protecting the Puy de Dôme, notably by improving tourist reception conditions with a view to sustainable development. A Forest Charter for the area is also being implemented in the site in order to guarantee the sustainable use of the forest resource by local stakeholders. The maintenance of summer pastures and sustainable pastoral activities is one of the objectives identified in the operational sheets of the 2020-2025 Management Plan (State Party of France, 2017).

At the time of inscription, it was considered that levels of financial commitment are sufficient (IUCN, 2018; World Heritage Committee, 2018). The site's 2015-2020 management plan lists numerous public financial sources that can be mobilized from the local (department) to international (Europe) level without specifying the amounts actually available. It is expected that the next 2021-2027 management plan will benefit from the same public financial sources as well as patronage, in particular through the Fondation Chaîne des Puys-faille de Limagne (IUCN Consultation, 2020b), however details are not available.

At the time of inscription, it was noted that staffing levels were sufficient (IUCN, 2018; World Heritage Committee, 2018). Increased training is recommended owing to the complex nature of managing an area with high stakeholder engagement and need for stakeholder education on land use restrictions.

The 2015-2020 management plan of the site lists numerous actions aimed at developing knowledge and the valorisation of the site among the public and local actors. The development of educational resources, educational services and, more broadly, geotourism around the Outstanding Universal Value of the site are also being sought. Furthermore, other activities included online training of local actors, publication of an educational booklet on the Chaîne des Puys, partnership with the National Education to develop educational materials and activities (IUCN Consultation, 2020b).

The World Heritage site is located in a populated and touristic region and close to a large conurbation (Clermont-Ferrand), which generates a significant number of tourists. Numerous museums and infrastructures for the in-situ promotion of the geoheritage exist. Various Sensitive Natural Spaces also enable ecotourism to be developed locally. The 2015-2020 management plan for the site lists numerous actions aimed at developing and managing tourism (development of reception and visitor infrastructures, management of sports events, development of geotourism on a regional scale, etc.) (State Party of France, 2017).  

The 2015-2020 management plan includes the aim to create a landscape observatory. Elaboration and providing public access to the photographs of the landscape observatory of the Chaîne des Puys - Limagne fault is underway with the principle to renew one third of the photographs every year (Departmental Council of Puy-de-Dôme, 2020; IUCN Consultation, 2020b). Also in progress is the elaboration of an observatory of the socio-economic impacts of heritage policies including the observation of the frequentation (IUCN Consultation, 2020b).

The area that now constitutes the World Heritage site has been, and continues to be, an area of active research into the process of continental breakup, and individual components of the system.