Methodology - Natural heritage inventory

Extract

[...] Housing can be grouped (more than half the population lives in the town) or dispersed. Landscape sprawl occurs when one or more recent buildings are erected away from the town. This phenomenon illustrates urban sprawl. The term "mimicry" is used to describe how well buildings blend into their surroundings. Identifying sites of heritage interest A commonplace natural feature becomes a natural heritage feature when it is representative of the landscapes associated with traditional rural societies. To determine this, we need to study old documents. [...]

[...] The natural components are largely based on the relief. A plain is a more or less flat surface with no incised watercourses, and is often associated with monotony. If there is a small relief, it is called a hill (rounded top) or a hillock (flat top). Plateaux are also more or less flat surfaces, but the watercourses are incised. Interfluves are reliefs that separate two valleys. Valleys are defined by their size, their course, their cross-section and their drainage. They are often by the discontinuity of their relief and the presence of water. [...]

[...] It is a marker of identity. III/ Data reporting Several documents are required to produce an inventory of the natural heritage of a given area. For a large area, there are often several landscape units: a summary map is then needed to delineate them. For areas with a marked relief, a topographical and landscape section is relevant. Block diagrams are also an effective tool but are more difficult to produce. A landscape sketch can be used to highlight an atmosphere. Photographs are essential. [...]

[...] The semi-natural components are subject to human intervention. Arable farming is often associated with large plots of land and paths wide enough for farm machinery to pass. Vertical features draw attention and break up the monotony of these landscapes. They have a controlled natural character: rows of trees, geometric shapes of plots, ploughing furrows, etc. The moors, meadows and lawns are associated with livestock farming. They are of man-made origin, having been cleared more or less long ago. The horizons are fairly clear and the eye can see far into the distance. [...]

[...] The rarity of a species gives it its heritage value. Symbolism is also important. - Geological heritage is defined according to historical and symbolic criteria. - Landscape heritage is studied using a sensitive, geographical, ecological (habitats that are more or less favourable to biodiversity), social and territorial approach (attractiveness or repulsiveness to man). Data collection Observations in the field can reveal elements that are not visible on the documents, but they have their limitations: you can only observe specific elements. [...]