Publications
Agricultural Landscapes – Tangible and Intangible values of Cultural Landscapes
Agricultural landscapes, shaped by natural, agronomic, and intangible factors, offer both tangible and intangible values that must be sustainably managed. This study highlights the importance of considering these landscapes as living cultural assets, requiring approaches that go beyond conservation to include economic viability, transmission of farming practices, and systemic collaboration among stakeholders. Four case studies—including the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyard terraces in Switzerland—demonstrate how complex irrigation systems, sediment management, wooded pastures, and terraced vineyards integrate ecological, agronomic, and cultural dimensions. The research proposes four key recommendations for sustainable management: treating landscapes as dynamic entities, ensuring economic health, preserving intangible practices, and adopting inclusive, systemic approaches involving farmers and other actors.
L'approche par les prestations paysagères, un cadre analytique et un outil de gestion des géopatrimoines à forte composante paysagère
Lavaux's vineyard terraces, recognized for their cultural and natural significance, benefit from a novel analytical approach that evaluates landscape services to enhance their geopatrimonial quality. This study introduces the 'landscape services approach' as a complementary tool to assess intrinsic and usage values of highly landscaped geomorphosites, applied here to three Swiss sites: Derborence, Pyramides d’Euseigne, and Lavaux's terraces. By using the UNIL method for geopatrimonial quality evaluation and analyzing landscape services, researchers demonstrate that this approach strengthens positive perceptions among non-specialist stakeholders, fostering greater interest in their protection. The findings highlight the potential of integrating landscape services into territorial management strategies for World Heritage Sites with strong visual and ecological value.
Labellisation UNESCO… et après ?
A decade after their UNESCO World Heritage Site designation, the Lavaux Vineyard Terraces and Swiss watchmaking urbanism sites show limited additional tourist impact but significant intangible benefits. While quantitative indicators of increased visitation are lacking, the inscription has fostered greater local pride, enhanced media visibility, and opened avenues for territorial development projects. This study, based on a literature review and semi-structured interviews with site managers, reveals that UNESCO recognition primarily strengthens social and symbolic value rather than driving measurable tourist growth.
A vine physiology-based terroir study in the AOC-Lavaux region in Switzerland
A vine physiology-based terroir study in the AOC-Lavaux region revealed that vintage effects significantly influence terroir zones, overshadowing soil groups. The research, conducted over three consecutive seasons across 22 plots with varying expositions, soil types, and altitudes, found spatial temperature variability to be twice as high as annual temporal variation, averaging 395 growing degree days (GDD) between the most extreme plots. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and hierarchical clustering of vine and berry physiological parameters showed vintage-dependent grouping, highlighting that altitude was the main driver of precocity in all years, independent of vintage. This study underscores the importance of topography in viticultural terroirs and provides insights for optimizing mitigation strategies in the face of global warming.
Landschaftsleistungen in Landschaften von nationaler Bedeutung. Forschungsbericht mit Handlungsempfehlungen für Bund, Kantone, Gemeinden, NGOs und Bewirtschaftende. Im Auftrag des Bundesamts für Umwelt BAFU
This research identifies key landscape attributes that significantly enhance human well-being, while addressing the complex balance between conservation and utilization in five Swiss pilot regions, including UNESCO World Heritage Site Lavaux. The study, conducted by the Universities of Zürich and Lausanne for Switzerland's Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), involved interviews with 27 stakeholders across the regions to capture perceived landscape values. Findings reveal a critical gap in communication about the historical significance and ongoing maintenance of cultural landscapes, such as Lavaux, which are often reduced to mere backdrops for tourism. The report proposes actionable measures—such as engaging local communities, improving visitor education, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders—to better preserve these landscapes while meeting modern needs. These insights, rooted in biodiversity and landscape policy, offer a blueprint for similar challenges in other regions.
Agricultural Sources of Micropollutants: from the Catchment to the Lake
Agricultural activities, particularly the use of pesticides, significantly contribute to micropollutant levels in freshwater environments. A study focusing on the Lavaux vineyard terraces, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site bordering Lake Geneva, revealed that glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA can be highly mobile despite their strong sorption abilities. This mobility poses environmental risks, as demonstrated by species sensitivity distribution (SSD) curves for these compounds. The research examined the transport dynamics of pesticides from application to their impact on living organisms, highlighting a critical gap in understanding the persistence and movement of micropollutants in catchment areas.
An example of a vine-physiology based fine-scale terroir study in the AOC Lavaux-region in Switzerland
A vine-physiology based study on the Lavaux vineyard terraces, Switzerland, reveals significant small-scale terroir variations in Chasselas grape cultivation. The research found that altitude was a key driver of budburst and flowering timing, with higher-altitude plots showing earlier phenological development. Notably, while these plots exhibited lower sugar concentrations at maturity (70-84° Oechsle), they accumulated the highest sugar quantities per berry, up to 26% variation. Individual berry weight varied by 35%, highlighting substantial differences in ripening patterns across the 140-ha terraced landscape. This ongoing study demonstrates the potential of vine physiology measurements to characterize terroir at a fine scale, offering insights into grape quality and viticultural practices.
Le Goût du vin. Créativité institutionnelle, appellations et culture du vin en Suisse et en Nouvelle-Zélande
A comparative analysis of vineyard terraces in Lavaux, Switzerland, and regions in New Zealand reveals that the success of wine appellations hinges on strategic local action, institutional creativity, and the interplay of economic, cultural, symbolic, and sensory values. The study highlights how actors in Féchy, Fully, Chamoson (Switzerland), Marlborough, and Central Otago leverage political choices and power dynamics to shape their appellation's identity and value. By integrating novel conceptual tools that balance taste, symbolism, and economics, the research identifies key elements fostering collective action, offering actionable insights for Swiss wine stakeholders.
From landscape resources to landscape commons: focussing on the non-utility values of landscape
Landscape conservation projects that balance use, existence (e.g., aesthetic), and intrinsic values tend to avoid deadlock, as demonstrated by the Lavaux UNESCO World Heritage Site. The study argues for a shift from viewing landscapes solely as resources to recognizing them as commons, aligning with the Florence Declaration on Landscape. This approach requires a nuanced understanding of landscape values, which the research explores through a phenomenological conceptualization. By distinguishing between these values, the study establishes a framework that promotes dialogue and resolves conflicts in real-life conservation efforts.
Q fever outbreak in the terraced vineyards of Lavaux, Switzerland
A Q fever outbreak linked to sheep in the terraced vineyards of Lavaux, Switzerland, was identified through epidemiological investigations and veterinary testing. The study found that 43% of sheep carried Coxiella burnetii, while 30% exhibited anti-Coxiella antibodies, highlighting a significant zoonotic risk. Mitigation measures, including flock vaccination and public health alerts, successfully limited the outbreak to 14 human cases, preventing a larger epidemic. The research underscores the importance of surveillance in low-endemicity regions, leading to the reintroduction of mandatory Q fever reporting in Switzerland.
Du paysage au terroir viticole de forte pente : à la recherche des leviers du management territorial
Steep vineyard landscapes, such as those of Lavaux and the Cinque Terre, exemplify humanity's adaptation to environmental constraints. These landscapes, recognized by UNESCO for their cultural significance, are shaped by the challenges posed by steep terrain, which influences viticultural practices and land transactions. The study introduces an ontological system to model these vineyard landscapes, combining field observations with multi-agent modeling (SMA). This approach aims to uncover the social and landscape mechanisms at play in such territories, offering insights into territorial management strategies.
The herbicide glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA in the Lavaux vineyard area, western Switzerland: Proof of widespread export to surface waters. Part I: Method validation in different water matrices
A robust analytical method was developed to quantify glyphosate, its metabolite AMPA, and the herbicide glufosinate at trace levels in various water matrices. The method, validated across ultrapure water, mineral water, river water, soil solution, and vineyard runoff, demonstrated high accuracy with mean recoveries ranging from 86% to 133%. Monitoring of a vineyard river revealed significant glyphosate and AMPA pollution peaks during rain events, often exceeding the legal threshold of 100 ng/l. Additionally, a depth profile in an adjacent lake near a wastewater treatment plant outlet showed an AMPA concentration peak at 25 meters, indicating its release from treated urban wastewater. This study provides critical evidence for the widespread export of glyphosate and AMPA to surface waters via diffuse runoff.
The herbicide glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA in the Lavaux vineyard area, western Switzerland: Proof of widespread export to surface waters. Part II: The role of infiltration and surface runoff
A study on the Lavaux vineyard terraces in western Switzerland found that glyphosate and its metabolite AMPA are widely exported to surface waters, primarily through surface runoff (96%) rather than soil throughflows. The research, conducted over two growing seasons (2010–2011), revealed elevated concentrations of these chemicals at depths of 60–80 cm in parcel bottoms, indicating infiltration and preferential flows driven by rainfall patterns and soil characteristics. Slope steepness and the presence of impervious weathered marls at 100 cm depth influenced throughflows, contributing to lateral transport. The findings highlight that significant rainfall events (>10 mm/day) accelerate herbicide export from the topsoil, emphasizing the role of precipitation regime and soil structure in contaminant mobility.
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