The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape
Cultural
1153
2011
Cultural
The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural, inscribed in 2011 (WHS 1153).
Criteria & Perimeter
Inscription criteria
(iii)(v)
Category
Cultural
Summary
This 302,319 ha property, in the southern part of central France, is a mountain landscape interspersed by deep valleys that is representative of the relationship between agro-pastoral systems and their biophysical environment, notably through drailles or drove roads. Villages and substantial stone farmhouses on deep terraces of the Causses reflect the organization of large abbeys from the 11th century. Mont Lozère, inside the property, is one of the last places where summer transhumance is still practiced in the traditional way, using the drailles.
Monuments in the Zone
Selection of protected monuments
- Eglise paroissiale Notre-Dame — Cossé-en-Champagne
- Maison de Laval — Laval
- Château du Coudray de Saint-Denis-du-Maine — Saint-Denis-du-Maine
- Château du Parc Soubise — Mouchamps
- Maison à pans de bois — Châtillon-sur-Loire
- Château de Dammarie-en-Puisaye — Dammarie-en-Puisaye
- Ancienne église Saint-Laurent — Langeais
- Hôtel du Belvédère de Saumur — Saumur
- Château d'Ardenay de Ardenay-sur-Mérize — Ardenay-sur-Mérize
- Croix Sainte-Apolline — Ferrières
- Hôtel d'Andigné de Angers — Angers
- Maison de Angers — Angers
- Dolmen dit La Pierre du Vert-Galant ou du Ver-Valland — Tavers
- Hôtel Maillard de Baugé — Baugé
- Domaine de la Donneterie et Ferme industrielle de Platé — Neuvy-le-Roi
Appellations of the Landscape
Most-reviewed Loire appellations
| Appellation | Avg score | Reviews | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sancerre | 89.3 | 554 | White |
| Muscadet Sèvre et Maine | 88.6 | 237 | White |
| Pouilly-Fumé | 89.6 | 153 | White |
| Vouvray | 88.4 | 153 | White |
| Touraine | 86.3 | 85 | White |
| Chinon | 88.7 | 72 | Red |
| Menetou-Salon | 87.3 | 69 | White |
| Crémant de Loire | 87.5 | 54 | Sparkling |
| Val de Loire | 85.6 | 41 | White |
| Saumur | 88.4 | 40 | White |
| Anjou | 87.6 | 36 | White |
| Rosé d'Anjou | 84 | 35 | Rosé |
Data source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (data.culture.gouv.fr). Last updated: April 14, 2026.