WS4.1 – Mountain food products: A special system of provision 9 th European IFSA Symposium, 4‐7 July 2010, Vienna (Austria) 1636 Biodiversity conservation as a new rationale for localized and sustainable agro‐food systems. The case of two French PDO mountain cheeses Armelle Caron a , Valérie Boisvert b , Christophe Berthelot c , Philippe Chambon a , Alain Gueringer a and Valérie Angeon d a ENGREF‐AgroParistech,UMR Métafort, Armelle.Caron@engref.agroparistech.fr , Philippe.Chambon@engref.agroparistech.fr, Valerie.Angeon@engref.agroparistech.fr b IRD, Valerie.Boisvert@ird.fr c UMR Métafort, chris.berthelot@gmail.com d CEMAGREF, UMR Métafort, Alain.Gueringer@cemagref.fr Abstract: Our paper is based on the first results of a twofold interdisciplinary research project financed by the French Ministry of the Environment (DIVA2 programme) which purpose was to analyse the emergence of biodiversity conservation as a new goal set to geographical indications and to study its effects on the strategies of the various stakeholders, and their impacts on the farming practices and the agro‐food systems. Case studies have been carried out on the value chains of two mountain cheeses which names are protected Designations of Origin: “Saint‐Nectaire” and “Salers”. The purpose of the socio‐economic and institutional study was to analyse the co‐construction of new norms of action favouring a sustainable use of meadows biodiversity in the two PDO cheese supply chains. Starting from a literature survey and interviews with the stakeholders, we have tried to trace the historical process of PDO implementation and to identify the internal and external driving forces behind this dynamic. The first results show a weak direct influence of meadows biodiversity conservation concern on the current collective process of norm construction. Nevertheless, the biodiversity awareness of breeders involved in these two PDO, notably Salers, seems to offer room for favourable evolution. However the weakness of collective action and the diversity of the PDO areas (in terms of livestock management and forage systems) that characterise the local context could make such a proactive change difficult without external support. Keywords: Biodiversity conservation, sustainable agro‐food systems, PDO, PDO mountain cheese, Geographical Indication Introduction Since the Convention on biological diversity, it has become commonplace to suggest the development of markets for genetic resources or products involving traditional ecological knowledge as conservation measures. Following the TRIPS Agreement, sustainable use and search for market opportunities have been presented as the cornerstones of many policies directed towards biodiversity protection. Accordingly, several institutional arrangements originally dedicated to promote alternative agro‐food systems have been brought forward as means to promote biodiversity conservation while securing incomes and rights over land and resources for local people and farmers. Such protection schemes imply the creation of norms and of governance arrangements that may be transformed by the introduction of biodiversity conservation commitments as a new legitimacy register. Our communication will focus on the French (European) Geographical Indications system. Our paper is based on the first results of an interdisciplinary research project (BigDIVA), financed by the French Ministry of the Environment (DIVA2 programme) which purpose was to analyse the emergence of biodiversity conservation as a new goal set to geographical indications and to study its effects on the strategies of the various stakeholders, and their impacts on the farming practices and the agro‐food systems. Case studies have been carried out on the value chains of two mountain cheeses which names are Protected Designations of Origin: “Saint‐Nectaire” and “Salers”.