3 Landscape Emerging: A Developing Object of Study
33
It is true that, generally speaking, many slopes in the Mediterranean particularly
(but also in some other areas such as the Channel and the Atlantic), are adorned
with more or less dense, majestic and colourful gorgonians (Paramuricea clavata or
Eunicella sp. for example). When deep-sea diving first began in the 1950s, gorgonian
corals revealed their aesthetic power as principal features of a landscape: they have
been key illustrations leading to the development of a collective frame of reference
in terms of perception of a beautiful landscape, i.e. its structure, shapes and colours.
With the development of scuba diving, the appeal of these landscapes and landscape
features have engendered excessive diver numbers in sites like the Gabinière, in
Port Cros National Park (Musard 2003) or at the Pellu in Bouches de Bonifacio
Nature Reserve (Musard 2008), to mention but examples of French marine protected
areas. With the help of scientists, managers have focused research and monitoring
projects on diver impacts on gorgonians in order to develop management solutions.
The deterioration of these landscape features was not the only question as, for the
two dive sites mentioned above, divers are also interested in a highly emblematic
species, the grouper, which as J.-A Foëx (1954) pointed out, is only “found in the
most splendid landscapes”.
By using the THEMA analysis system, the various underwater landscape objects
can be examined and interrelated. Through this example of integrated analysis, problems of inter-visibility and integration of mobile features emerge as vital. They are
not easy to solve prima facie, particularly in view of what can be seen along the trail,
as shown by Table 3.1 in the case of a diver. Initiatives to develop knowledge of and
monitor underwater landscapes must operationally and technically integrate these
factors, in order to consolidate the benefits and scope thereof.
3.6 Object and Practice: Towards Underwater Landscape
Photographic Observatories and Atlases
The socialisation of the coastal underwater fringe leads, simultaneously and consistently, to the progressive development of both images and growing responsibility.
This process gradually raises the question of the benefit of developing underwater
landscape atlases and observatories, in the same way as for the terrestrial environment, particularly to reinforce marine environment monitoring and protection
measures (Clément 2012). Integrated into public policies on terrestrial landscape
since the French “Landscape” Law (1993) and the European Landscape Convention,
these tools are references in landscape diagnosis and policy, in three key focus areas: description and mapping of landscape units; study of landscape dynamics; and
study of social practices and perceptions. The transposition of these tools into the
underwater world raises several questions regarding the transfer of methodologies
in terms of area breakdown, adaptation of scales, anthropogenic markers, cultural
representations and use of space, observation conditions (starting with the problem
of turbidity), and involvement of the public (Table 3.1). Although underwater landscapes atlases and observatories are developing, the question of their benefits in
33
It is true that, generally speaking, many slopes in the Mediterranean particularly
(but also in some other areas such as the Channel and the Atlantic), are adorned
with more or less dense, majestic and colourful gorgonians (Paramuricea clavata or
Eunicella sp. for example). When deep-sea diving first began in the 1950s, gorgonian
corals revealed their aesthetic power as principal features of a landscape: they have
been key illustrations leading to the development of a collective frame of reference
in terms of perception of a beautiful landscape, i.e. its structure, shapes and colours.
With the development of scuba diving, the appeal of these landscapes and landscape
features have engendered excessive diver numbers in sites like the Gabinière, in
Port Cros National Park (Musard 2003) or at the Pellu in Bouches de Bonifacio
Nature Reserve (Musard 2008), to mention but examples of French marine protected
areas. With the help of scientists, managers have focused research and monitoring
projects on diver impacts on gorgonians in order to develop management solutions.
The deterioration of these landscape features was not the only question as, for the
two dive sites mentioned above, divers are also interested in a highly emblematic
species, the grouper, which as J.-A Foëx (1954) pointed out, is only “found in the
most splendid landscapes”.
By using the THEMA analysis system, the various underwater landscape objects
can be examined and interrelated. Through this example of integrated analysis, problems of inter-visibility and integration of mobile features emerge as vital. They are
not easy to solve prima facie, particularly in view of what can be seen along the trail,
as shown by Table 3.1 in the case of a diver. Initiatives to develop knowledge of and
monitor underwater landscapes must operationally and technically integrate these
factors, in order to consolidate the benefits and scope thereof.
3.6 Object and Practice: Towards Underwater Landscape
Photographic Observatories and Atlases
The socialisation of the coastal underwater fringe leads, simultaneously and consistently, to the progressive development of both images and growing responsibility.
This process gradually raises the question of the benefit of developing underwater
landscape atlases and observatories, in the same way as for the terrestrial environment, particularly to reinforce marine environment monitoring and protection
measures (Clément 2012). Integrated into public policies on terrestrial landscape
since the French “Landscape” Law (1993) and the European Landscape Convention,
these tools are references in landscape diagnosis and policy, in three key focus areas: description and mapping of landscape units; study of landscape dynamics; and
study of social practices and perceptions. The transposition of these tools into the
underwater world raises several questions regarding the transfer of methodologies
in terms of area breakdown, adaptation of scales, anthropogenic markers, cultural
representations and use of space, observation conditions (starting with the problem
of turbidity), and involvement of the public (Table 3.1). Although underwater landscapes atlases and observatories are developing, the question of their benefits in