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The articulation of local and scientific knowledge is one of the main challenges in implementing a participative management of aquatic environments. Ecological restoration projects lead to the more specific consideration of knowledge relating to environmental evolutions. These contribute to defining an environmental reference as well as objectives for a project. The diversity of knowledge characterizing the different kinds of stakeholders involved in a project may compromise participative decision-making. It is therefore useful to apprehend it better. This article aims – using a content analysis of 31 semi-structured interviews – to characterize local knowledge relating to the evolutions of alluvial wetlands and to compare it to scientific knowledge. Since the 2s, these typical environments of the river Ain and Rhône are the object of restoration projects. Four groups of local stakeholders are considered: users and local elected members (also users) living near alluvial wetlands of the river Ain and Rhône. The people interviewed appear to know relatively well the evolutions of the alluvial wetlands since the 195’s. Nevertheless, only the local elected members seem to know partly the factors and processes inducing these evolutions. This diversity of knowledge may compromise the definition of plausible objectives for the ecological restoration. These results confirm the interest of a learning phase to favour the co-definition of environmental projects. They underline the responsibility of specialists – managers and scientists – for diffusing environmental knowledge.