After the Maison Carrée, which next site in the Gard could be listed as a UNESCO world heritage site?

The last Gard site to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on September 18, 2023 is located in Nîmes, at the Maison Carrée. An ancient temple for imperial worship built in the first century AD which was already listed as a Historic Monument in 1840.

In the Gard, several places have had the honour of having this inscription, starting with the Pont du Gard in 1985. But there is also closer to us, as part of the routes to Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, in 1998, the inscription of the abbey church of Saint-Gilles built from the 10th century.

After Causse and Cévennes, the Camargue?

The Causse and Cévennes area was listed in 2011 for its cultural landscape of Mediterranean agropastoralism. A way of paying tribute to the human activity that has shaped the landscapes, to highlight nature and biodiversity.

It is also in this approach that an association was created in 2023 to ensure that the Camargue is registered with UNESCO. Within the perimeter of the biosphere reserve (since 1976), in this wetland, the association “La Camargue à l’Unesco” makes a worrying observation linked to the consequences of global warming with the coastlines that are receding, soils that are becoming salinized.

UNESCO registration would raise awareness, provide a benevolent perspective and, who knows, save the Camargue from disappearing. A project that is moving forward and will be the subject of a meeting soon between Mary Bourgade, elected representative from Nîmes in charge of the UNESCO file for the Maison Carrée, and representatives of the association “La Camargue à l’Unesco”. The latter will remind us how difficult it is to obtain registration…