Second-home owners and sea-level rise: the case of the Languedoc- Roussillon region (France)
Résumé
Municipalities of the Languedoc-Roussillon region (South-eastern France) are
highly vulnerable to climate-change-induced sea-level rise (SLR) due to their
low altitude and the great attractiveness of the region for tourism. This
attractiveness has resulted in a very significant development of second homes,
which represent half of the housing stock and three quarters of the total capacity
for tourism hospitality. In the context of climate change adaptation measures
related to SLR, it is imperative to consider the perceptions of second-home
owners and their place in local governance arrangements. Scientists advocate the
implementation of managed retreat policies to reduce vulnerability by reducing
the exposure of buildings, but both the social acceptability and the economic
feasibility of these policies are very low. We assume that second-home owners
have different perceptions of the risk of inundation and are less involved in the
governance mechanisms. It is very difficult to mobilise a large number of owners
of small flats who are less concerned with, and less likely to contribute to, policy
development, due to their less frequent presence. We studied these issues
through a survey in three municipalities, based on a sample of 318 residents and
163 second-home owners faced with inundation risk. We observed a lower
sensitivity to risk and a stronger attachment to homes on the part of secondhome
owners (compared to residents). We also discuss, in terms of equity and
efficiency, the impact of their low level of engagement in governance mechanisms.