Before becoming subject of political and spatial development concerns, landscapes have been subject into the most different and various currents of scientific thought. At present, landscapes have an important and increasing role into politics and public actions, particularly in the sustainable territorial development. Landscapes therefore “leave” from the scientific knowledge to “act in the world”. They are then auspicious to be a resource to engender territorial development. The conception and dynamics of landscapes are though complex and often difficult to be understood (into their complexity) by the actors from the territory, which complicate the process of resource activation. The aim of this thesis is to study how the landscapes from the Larzac piedmont and the foothills – characterized by the vitiviniculture – can be a driving force into the process of (sustainable) territorial development. With support of systems thinking, this research also provides a "new method" to represent landscapes in their complexity. This representation is an efficient tool for local actors to self-reflection and self-learning processes that allows strategies definition and actions to activate the resource and then promote sustainable territorial development, as well as the maintenance of a “beautiful” but also “living” landscape, with actors’ visions and participation.
