Do waterfalls have value in themselves? A metamorphosis in the values of the Gimel waterfall in France

摘要

This paper describes the change of value ascribed to a waterfall (the Gimel fall in France) from the early 20th to present. Two movements of valuation are studied. The first movement corresponds to the transformation of the waterfall into a touristic site. This was triggered by Gaston Vuillier, a painter who fell in love with the site and decided to protect it; in this case the value changed from non-anthropocentric instrumental value to anthropocentric instrumental and extrinsic value. The second movement, which began at the end of the 20th century, demonstrates new environmental perceptions which have changed the valuation of the site from a non-anthropocentric intrinsic value to an anthropocentric instrumental value.