A word from the President

160 million years ago, under a tropical climate, a sea washed this piece of territory south of the Burgundy. It deposits sediments there, forms coral reefs which, fossilized and very resistant, will constitute the framework of the Rocks of Solutré and Vergisson. These rise and fall with the Monts du Mâconnais during the backlash to the Alpine uprising. The appearance of faults juxtaposes varied soils which today impact the culture of vine. Then, under the action of glacial episodes, erosion sculpts the current relief.

If the vine seems dominant, six landscape units distinct are the richness of the Grand Site: the rocks lawns, the vine, built, the in the forest and bocage, offering striking contrasts between the mineral and the plant, the mobile and the immobile. At the top of the Roche de Solutré, François Mitterrand recalled the forces of the spirit of the place: “ From there, I can see better what is going, what is coming, and especially what is not moving. »

But the notoriety of the territory, amplified since the 1980s, has led to a rapid increase in the attendance of the site and its poorly controlled consequences: degradation of the natural environment.

While the Grand Site initially seems to reflect the image of a ideal tourist destination in Southern Burgundy, it actually finds a large part of its legitimacy in the actions it carries out in the field of the environment, in the broad sense of the term. For more than twenty years, successful operations have made it possible to record real successes on the ground, and many local stakeholders are now taking a new look at the approach undertaken. We must continue our efforts, relying on the Single Management Document, developed in 2017 and the centerpiece of the protection system.

If everyone recognizes the progress made, changes, of a different nature and more or less visible, are observed in the territory: the drop in the number of farmers, an increased sensitivity of residents to questions environment and health, a urbanization galloping at the gates of the Grand Site, the deregulation of the climate and its consequences on the vineyard, the disappearance of local shops. As much issues to which, in the medium and long term, local stakeholders will have to provide answers.

The establishment of a new governance secure and simplified, guaranteeing project success committed, constituted a first prerequisite. It’s been done since 1^er January 2019, date on which the Department of Saône-et-Loire took charge of the destiny and management of the Grand Site, in full agreement with the Mâcon agglomeration. A charter, developed collectively and signed by all stakeholders in May 2023, consolidated the new governance and clarify the role of each actor in the life of the Grand Site: the municipalities, the agglomeration, the State and its services, socio-professional actors and residents.

Le action program for the period 2020-2026 was built on the occasion of the renewal of the label obtained in October 2020. It aims to mobilize and unite all strong forces of the territory in order to meet the many expectations of citizens and communities.

It has 4 main axes which clearly express the challenges to be met:

• ♦ Preserve the great landscape and its components
• ♦ Take care of the qualities ofhome, visit and discovery
• ♦ Rely on theidentity of the Grand Site, a lever for tourism development
• ♦ Be an actor in local development and bring the site to life

 

Le Department of Saône-et-Loire and its partners are committed to continuing in the long term the preservation and enhancement of the Grand Site de France Solutré Pouilly Vergisson. Nourished by a multi-millennial history, combining the past with the present and the present with the future, the Grand site de France Solutré Pouilly Vergisson is resolutely future-oriented, confident in the beautiful values. that he carries on a daily basis.

André Accary, President of the Department of Saône-et-Loire