ABSTRACT
Although the declarations made by the États Généraux des Paysages (General Condition of Landscapes) in 2007 were not based on scientific results, today they seem to be part of shared knowledge and to embellish the discourse of stakeholders at will. They mention that landscape is ‘an economic component of places’. This meaning coincides with the arguments of the European Landscape Convention, which insists on the fact that it ‘constitutes a resource favourable to economic activity, and whose protection, management and planning can contribute to job creation’. Within this framework, the economic contribution of landscape activities is initially envisaged in an indirect way, through several economic activities or sectors that base their products on the quality of the landscape. Landscape quality adds value to property. It makes residential and tourist products sell. France’s attractive image among the best tourist destinations in the world is thanks to the diversity and quality of its landscapes, among other things. It gives added value to food products for which the landscape quality of the place where they are produced is a synonym of quality for their products on the market.
