Discovery and science
At an altitude of 2,100 meters, The jardin du Lautaret, a joint service unit ofUniversité Grenoble Alpes the CNRS, combines the appeal of an alpine botanical garden that is unique in Europe, featuring more than 2,000 plant species from around the world (20,000 visitors/year), and the excellence of a research infrastructure, bringing together researchers from around the world who study the response of mountain ecosystems and territories to global change.
To fully accomplish these missions, which encompass science, tourism, and the dissemination of knowledge, a new building was constructed at a cost of nearly €3 million, thanks to support from the state and local authorities.
After the speeches, Jean-Gabriel Valay, director of the Joseph Fourier Alpine Station, Lise Dumasy, President ofUniversité Grenoble Alpes, Patrick Lévy, President of the Université Grenoble Alpes Community, Stéphanie Thiebault, Director of the CNRS Institute of Ecology and Environment (INEE), Claire Bouchet, Deputy for Joël Giraud, Arnaud Murgia, Delegate for Digital Economic Development for the Hautes-Alpes Department, Alain Fardella, president of the Briançonnais Community of Municipalities, Olivier Fons, mayor of Villar d'Arène, Chantal Eyméoud, vice-president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regional Council, and Isabelle Sendrané, sub-prefect of the Hautes-Alpes, performed the inaugural gesture: the unveiling of a block of Guillestre marble. This symbolic gesture illustrates the Lautaret garden's deep roots in this exceptional site. "The message is about the resort in its territory, the link with geology, plants, rock, and the tribute to Serge," said Jean-Gabriel Valay.
With the unveiling of a commemorative plaque on the Mirande chalet and a scientific seminar (June 29 and 30), this ceremony was an opportunity to pay a moving tribute to Serge Aubert, director of the Lautaret Garden from 2005 to 2015. A teacher, researcher, naturalist, and man of culture, Serge Aubert's commitment had a profound impact on the history and scientific influence of the Garden.
Inaugurated on June 29, the Galerie de l'Alpe stands on the site of the ruins of the former hotel-restaurant of the Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée (PLM) company, which was destroyed in 1944. This new building now enables the Lautaret Garden (a joint unit of the CNRS andUniversité Grenoble Alpes) to fully carry out its missions of welcoming the public, training, and research. Combining science, tourism, and the dissemination of knowledge, the construction of the Galerie de l'Alpe is part of the history of this magnificent site, which dates back to 1899 with the creation of the Lautaret Alpine Botanical Garden, one of the most beautiful in Europe, by Professor Jean-Paul Lachmann.
With a total cost of €2.7 million, the construction of the Galerie de l'Alpe was financed by the French government as part of the "Nature, Science, and Tourism" Rural Excellence Cluster (€230,000), the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (€400,000), the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region (€900,000), the Hautes-Alpes Department (€350,000), the Briançonnais Community of Municipalities (€100,000) andUniversité Grenoble Alpes (€720,000).
The scientific equipment at the Galerie de l’Alpe was funded by the CNRS andUniversité Grenoble Alpes part of the AnaEE (Analysis and Experimentation on Ecosystems 2012-2020) "Investments for the Future" program.
The jardin du Lautaret one of the department's main summer tourist attractions (20,000 visitors per year). Rigorous labeling and free guided tours contribute to public education. It publishes and markets "Les cahiers du Lautaret" (The Lautaret Notebooks); organizes and publishes artist residencies (in June 2016, writer Rick Bass-USA, illustrator Yves Berger-UK, and Belgian photographer Daniel Michiels); produces and markets the Dominique Villars collection, a catalog that highlights the importance of botanical drawing (illustrators from around the world since 2006: third booklet in 2016); organizes scientific conferences for the general public, "Lundi de la Galerie"; offers exhibitions; and provides access to a photographic database (30,000 photos). The jardin du Lautaret in numerous events at the local level (flower shows, activities, etc.), national level (Rendez-vous aux Jardins, National Latin American Week, symposiums, etc.), and international level (science-art events, University of Louisiana, symposiums, etc.), and is featured on regional and national radio, newspapers, and television.
