As part of the LIFE Eau&Climat project's "Facilitating the mobilization of local players" initiative, the SMAVD organized meetings between elected representatives on the subject of water resources, using a photolanguage tool.
At the end of 2021, a letter inviting them to join the initiative was sent to the various intercommunalités in the Durance basin, as well as to a large number of elected representatives already involved in water-related issues. Some fifty elected representatives expressed an interest in the approach.
As we wanted to offer informal meetings where we could freely discuss the issues at stake, free from any political posturing, the first meetings were held in small groups in the different areas of the Durance.
Five meetings were organized between 2022 and 2023 :
- May 18, 2022 - Basse Durance 1
- June 29, 2022 - Moyenne Durance 1
- July 1, 2022 - Basse Durance 2
- September 27, 2022 - Moyenne Durance 2
- January 20, 2023 - Haute Durance
A photolangage tool (Photolangage, Ensemble pour nos rivières - Favoriser la gestion participative de nos territoires - Grand Format, by Claire Bélisle, Alain Douiller, Karine Viciana, publisher: Chronique Sociale) specifically designed to tackle the subjects of water and rivers was used to animate these meetings. The idea was to get elected representatives to talk freely about the river using this "ice-breaker" tool. Each person was able to present his or her vision using the chosen photos. By letting the discussion flow naturally after each speaker had spoken, the friendly, informal atmosphere enabled rich discussions to emerge, the main points of which were highlighted in the summaries presented, which are now available : https://www.gesteau.fr/document/mobilisation-dun-groupe-delus-sur-leau-et-les-rivieres-syntheses-des-rencontres-sur-la.