Abstract. - Risks in Rural Habitats. Through their remarkable spatial extension, complex structure or diversity of human activities, rural habitats are exposed to various hazards and risks. These risks could be described by a direct, intermediate, discreet or even hidden manifestation. The lack of an organized risk management (risk perception, assessment, prevention and control) contributes to the increase of the vulnerability level in rural habitats. Risks could be induced either by the natural environment or by the social environment, troubled because of conflictual economic or political states. The stability states of the authentic rural environments became aleatory, so that human risks get easily installed. The need for a risk culture in rural communities is more and more evident and constitutes a major challenge of the contemporary world.
Key-words: rural habitats, risks, human activities, challenge