It will take almost 10 years for the lavender cultural landscapes to hope to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To officially launch the application and accelerate the project, Drôme lavender growers created an association. Named La Maison du Patrimoine Culturel Lavandicole de Provence, it was created in December 2023 and organized its first general assembly on June 13 in Grignan. “For an application to be recognized by UNESCO, the structure must already be registered on the indicative list of French properties. And this must be carried out by an association”, explains Alain Aubanel, lavender grower and co-president. Once this is done, the French state can submit the nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
The association brings together many local actors linked, directly or indirectly, to lavender landscapes. “On our board of directors, there are about fifty people, laundry growers, distillers, artists, writers, tourism people and academics.”, lists the farmer. During the general assembly, the association also invited the five departments and the two regions of the territories concerned to join the board of directors.
An engine of economic dynamism
Despite the length of the process, the lavender farmers are not discouraged. In recent years, the situation in the lavender sector has been difficult. Weighed down by the drop in the price of the plant, lavender and lavandin were selling at a loss. At this “difficult market situation”, Alain Aubanel adds “a climate that doesn’t help. There was too much water and the plantations are weakened by climatic accidents.” That is why, “the UNESCO approach can make it possible to better promote products from our territory and especially lavender“, rejoices the lavender grower. Furthermore, this heritage creation could also benefit other players, such as companies that manufacture lavender products.
