Marie Preux

I work for the Viroin-Hermeton Nature Park... At the heart of the Nature Park's missions are the protection of nature and the environment, regional planning, economic and rural development and awareness-raising.

Marie's job

After graduating, I first worked for 4 years in a consultancy specializing in urban and regional planning, which enabled me to acquire solid skills in this field and thus complete my initial training.

Since April 2023, I've been working for the Viroin-Hermeton Nature Park, which includes the communes of Couvin, Philippeville and Viroinval.

At the heart of the Nature Park's missions are the protection of nature and the environment, regional planning, economic and rural development and awareness-raising.

As a Landscape and Regional Planning Officer, I work on three main projects:

• The Landscape Charter: drawing up, monitoring and implementing the Natural Park Charter;
• Town-planning guidelines: issuing opinions on town-planning permits at the request of local authorities or the Walloon Region, assisting local authorities, project developers and citizens with their procedures and projects;
• Raising awareness of landscape and regional planning: organizing themed walks, conferences, exhibitions, etc

I also participate in the internal life of the Nature Park: organization of Park events, team meetings, administrative management, etc

A typical day

My main mission concerns the Landscape Charter, but my days are very varied, depending on the project I'm working on and its progress.

I work on all three projects at the same time, which means I'm sometimes in the office, sometimes in meetings, sometimes in the field.

I have a lot of contact with local players (administrative departments, local authorities, tourist offices, the National Park, citizens, local non-profit organizations, etc.) as well as with the other Nature Park project managers (Nature Conservation, Animation, Communication, Food, etc.), which for me reflects the cross-disciplinary nature of the landscaping profession.

The life of a project manager is also punctuated by calls for projects, because in order to carry out actions on the territory, it is necessary to find funding

Why this choice of studies?

I always wanted to work in an artistic and creative field (stylist, interior designer, jeweler, etc.). But I have also always been sensitive to the plant environment and to nature in the broadest sense.

The choice of this profession was therefore very appropriate since being a landscape designer allows me to express myself creatively but also to work with living things, to improve the living environment by analyzing and developing landscapes, to know plants, ecosystems.

Objectives achieved...

The study and understanding of large territories has always interested me. Indeed, working on a large scale makes it possible to question important current issues, on the stakes of the territory that affect a large number of actors (preservation and enhancement of landscape and cultural heritage, flood management, erosion management, preservation of ecosystems, limitation of soil artificialisation and urban sprawl, etc.)

Working in a nature park was a real goal to reach, as it gave a lot of meaning to our profession as landscape architects. In fact, my current role involves protecting, managing, developing and enhancing the landscape by taking concrete action on a territory.

Memories of student life

It's a small-scale campus where everyone knows each other and the atmosphere is very family-like. There is a lot of mutual support, whether it is for organizing student events or in the classroom. Everything is +/- a good memory in Gembloux 😊