ABSTRACT
Over the past four decades successive French governments have established a complex (and often overlapping) array of institutions, organizations and agencies to deal with the planned development and management of land use in rural areas (Jung 1971, Monod 1974, Bontron et al. 1983, Laborie et al. 1985, Guichard 1986, Morand-Deviller 1987, Clout 1987). Some of these bodies, together with their differing policies and powers, have survived the test of time, some have been modified to accommodate changing economic and political circumstances, others have simply been jettisoned. It is not possible here to offer a full historical review of these varying shifts in attitude, approach and emphasis; the more limited intention is to examine a selection of the main legislative and regulatory measures that have been implemented both to control and orient patterns of land use, and to resolve particular conflicts of interest. In so doing, reference will be made to the executive role of the state, a hierarchy of administrative authorities (régions, départements and communes), and a host of other bodies, both public and private. Although the use and management of land constitutes the central focus of interest, it is to be appreciated that such matters need to be set in context, and cannot be divorced from a consideration of wider environmental, socio-economic and political issues.
