Contenu du sommaire

The commercial development of whitewater activities : symbolic factors and physical investment. To obtain insights into the types of investment made in whitewater activities by commercial operators, an interview survey was carried out among a group of professional monitors. Based on survey responses, mental maps were constructed to show monitors' perceptions of the environment in which they operate. It is concluded that there is a certain standardisation of whitewater courses which, on the one hand, enables monitors to ensure the safety of their clients in a risk environment and, on the other hand, makes it economically viable for whitewater commercial operators to pro\ ide supervision and equipment. However, these perceptions contrast sharply with the demands of clients who tend to look for a real « back-to-nature » experience and seem incapabale of accepting die associated risks and discomforts. The study shows that investment in whitewater acitivities by commercial operators remains limited, being concentrated at just a few locations in the natural environment.

Social micro-geography : a French mountain hamlet in the twentieth century. In studying the changes which have affected life in the intermediate mountain areas of France, either a general, macro-scale approach may be adopted or such changes may be examined on a smaller scale in order to identify the interrelationships between the way of life, general socio-economic changes and the ways in which space and the built area are used. Thus a description of life in a simple mountain hamlet at three moments in time — the beginning of the century, the post-war period (mid-century), and the end of the century — , based on the lives of a few families over four generations, provides insights into the various changes which have affected the rural environment, involving the development of tourist activities and the growth of the area's dormitory function. However, it is only through a study of family links over the medium term period, complemented by on-site surveys, and by taking certain precautions, that the necessary information may be obtained and interpreted in a meaningful way.

Agriculture, an asset for local development ? Within the context of the revision of the development plan for Ugine, a small town in the French Alps, a review and analysis of agriculture were conducted in order to identify land to be protected and to transfer it officially to the protected domain. This agricultural study, carried out in a community which is first and foremost associated with industry, and steel in particular, provides an opportunity to consider a local development programme at a time when traditional activities, both agricultural as well as industrial, are experiencing a recession in the area. The aim of this local development pro- . gramme will be to create the structures needed for growth by developing a form of light tourism based on those aspects of the local area which contribute to its originality. The aim of the article is to suggest a few guidelines for developing a balance between agriculture, tourism and industry, while at the same time strengthening the links between local partners, development and spatial organisation.

Observations on exceptional high-mountain processes at work in the Mont-Blanc massif in the summer of 1992. Following the hot, dry summers of the years 1988- 1991, which contributed to glacier retreat in high mountain areas, these same areas were the scene of numerous slope movements and rocks- lides. The climatic conditions of the summer of 1992 in the Mont Blanc massif were even more extreme (heavy rainfall then high temperatures) and increased the frequency of morphological processes such as rock weathering and rockslides. Even more remarkable was the appearance of debris flows which are not a frequent occurrence in the Mont Blanc massif, especially above 3500 metres.