UMR Archeorient CNRS-univ. Lyon 2

Led by the European Center for Archaeology of Bibracte (France), COUDRIER is a participatory research project looking at the biological and heritage dimensions of water resources in a micro-territory weakened by repeated droughts caused by climate change: the ‘Bibracte - Morvan des Sommets’ Grand Site de France (GSF), a mid- mountain area located at the junction of the watersheds of the Yonne-Seine and Loire rivers. Designed in the spirit of ‘transformative governance’ (IPBES, IPCC), COUDRIER aims to strengthen the capacity of local residents to reduce the proven risks of water shortages in this area. The area is emblematic of the ‘critical zone’ and is original in France in terms of the role played by a microheritage and morphological traces linked to past uses, but also, even today, autonomous management of water resources by micro-local communities. The project combines physical sciences and humanities with local knowledge to collectively identify ways of managing the resource sustainably and improving its governance. COUDRIER is working with all the stakeholders (scientists, authorities, associations, economic players, local residents) to co-produce knowledge born of the encounter between memory and “non-scientific” local knowledge, geo-hydrological measurements, hydro-climatic simulations, archaeological and geomorphological traces. Together, the participants measure and analyse the local water cycle over the long term. To achieve this, COUDRIER is relying on Living Lab protocols (collective measurement surveys, archive exploration and field surveys, collection of collective and individual memories) and on a digital platform specially designed to make resources available (LiDAR survey of the area, hydro-geological measurements, tutorials on protocols), bring together the contributions of scientists and residents, involve them in dialogue spaces and thus feed the workshops physically bringing people together. The project was launched in September 2023 for a two-year period. Its aim is to produce, by means of a stabilised methodology and tools, a proof of concept of the validity of a micro-local approach based on the informed participation of local residents in tackling climate upheaval and the changes in usage that it will entail. The paper will present the foundations and current achievements of the project and draw out the initial lessons learned.