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The oases’ natures of Jerid (Tunisia), some resources also conceptual
Original title:
Les natures des oasis du Jérid, des ressources aussi idéelles,
Lecture given in plenary session at the Conference MEDENPOP 2000, October 25th-28th 2000, Jerba (Tunisie), IRD/IRA Médenine.
Populations rurales et environnement en contexte bioclimatique méditerranéen.
– Abstract:
In the Jerid of palm grove, there is a feeling of crisis about the land and hydraulic resources, and a first identification shows the problem of availability and especially management of resources. But each actor (gardeners, State) sees his own field of competence limited, and waits for the other actor the movement needed for a better management of resources.
The use of resources is in correlation with the perception of environment. I have identified three ‘ideal-types’ (paradigms) of the relation to the environment, and they condition the way to deal with the natural world. The actors of the oasian stage are differentiated by their relationship, more or less tight, with those ideal-types. So, we have to take into consideration the kind of actor, his own concepts to imagine his resources management.
But this is still too simple: the oasian actors negotiate permanently their relationship with the three ideal-types. The main proposal of this paper is to include in the notion of resource this resource, no more material or natural but also conceptual. The way to deal with environment is itself a resource. It is organically linked with the natural resources.
For the Development, this proposal can represent a new perspective of work, a synthetic approach which connects the systems of representation of the world, the manners of management of resources, the use of different scale of space and time and dynamic categories of agent of evolution of ecosystems.
– To download the text of this lecture: see the published version (in French) The oases of Jerid, some resources natural and conceptual.