Paper short abstract:

Long considered prototypical local ’commons’, the irrigation systems of Valais have emerged from a period of decline and abandonment by adopting new modes of operation and regulation through which traditional civic corporations and a multiplicity of non-local actors now cooperate.

Paper long abstract:

Irrigation systems are a well-established field of research within mountain anthropology, as exemplified by the irrigation systems of Canton Valais in the Swiss Alps (also named ‘bisses’). The bisses featured prominently in the research of cultural ecologist Robert Mc. Netting, whose work was later integrated into Elinor Ostrom’s ground-breaking publication ‘Governing the Commons’ (1990). Since then, the bisses have been held-up as prototypical long-standing ’commons’, which traditionally operate at a localised level.

However, starting in the 1950s, radical land use change linked to agricultural decline and the rise of tourism resulted in many irrigation channels being abandoned by 1970. Since then, the perceived significance of the bisses has expanded beyond the established agricultural function, to acknowledge their value in terms of heritage, tourism, and ecology. This shift has led to the emergence of non-local actors operating within new modalities of cooperation that reflect larger regional, national, and international dynamics.

The everyday operation and regulation of the bisses is traditionally governed by highly-localised civic corporations (‘bourgeoisies’, ‘consortages’) whose members partake in collective labour (‘corvées’). However, in the last few decades, construction, renovation, and maintenance works have taken place with the direct participation of the Swiss Alpine Club, associations of amateurs and enthusiasts, secondary residents of mountain villages, refugees, unemployed workers, and military personnel. Thus, the rules of operation of the bisses are being challenged by new linkages between local and non-local actors, who are now directly engaged in the production – and indeed, most importantly – the reproduction of the commons.