State

Organisation and monitoring of the World Heritage Convention by State departments: 

National level

• French Ambassador to UNESCO: represents France in the Organisation.
• Ministries responsible for culture and the environment: carry out World Heritage policy, advise on candidacies and are responsible for monitoring inscribed properties. They act as correspondents in regional departments.

Regional and départemental levels

Under the authority of Regional and Départemental Prefects (the Prefect of the Centre- Loire Valley Region being the Loire Valley UNESCO coordinator): 

• DRAC and the Unité Départementale de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine (UDAP – Départemental Architecture and Heritage Unit): involved in overall management of the UNESCO site, acting on behalf of heritage, architecture and quality urban planning:
  • protection and restoration of historical monuments
  • safeguard and promotion of urban heritage
  • opinions on building permits close to monuments
  • monitoring of preventive archaeology and conservation of remains
  • management of the “Towns and Lands of Art and History” and “Remarkable Gardens” labels
• DREAL and DDT:
  • preservation of landscapes and biodiversity (on listed sites in particular)
  • sustainable spatial planning, and in particular accompaniment of urban development (monitoring of urban-planning documents, etc.)
  • flood-risk management with regard to the Loire and its tributaries
  • monitoring of agricultural policies