To know everything about the Cevennes
Well positioned between the Massif Central and the Mediterranean, the Cévennes National Park is a tourist destination conducive to getting away from it all and discovering a particularly beautiful and preserved nature.
Created on September 2, 1970, the Cevennes National Park has the particularity of being permanently inhabited in its heart. Its designation by Unesco as a Biosphere Reserve in 1985 testifies to its concern to combine environmental protection and economic and social development.
The National Park extends over the departments of Lozère, Gard and Ardèche. Its headquarters are in Florac in Lozère. The heart has 55 municipalities for an area of 93,500 hectares.
The biodiversity of these lands of contrast is particularly rich. There are 2,410 animal species – including 45% of vertebrates and two-thirds of mammals in France – including 20 species of bats. The territory is also home to endangered raptors: golden eagle, short-toed eagle, peregrine falcon, eagle owl… The four species of vulture, fawn, monk, vulture and bearded vulture, live there thanks to reintroductions or spontaneous returns .
The flora is very diverse and delights lovers of orchids or even spring adonis… Many remarkable and endemic plants bloom in the peat bogs and lawns of Mont Lozère and Aigoual or on the vast steppe expanses of the Causse.
Adonis of Spring © EICC
Staying in the National Park also means choosing quality tourism, respectful of the environment and the inhabitants. In order to reconcile welcoming visitors and protecting nature and cultural heritage, the Park has signed the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas (CETD). It is itself empowered to approve service providers who engage in the CETD process. It is assisted by the Cévennes Ecotourisme association, which runs the network of accommodation providers, restaurants, hiking guides, managers of places to visit, involved in ecotourism. In collaboration with the Park, it offers training on the quality of services, respect for the environment, knowledge of the natural and built heritage so that they in turn can better share their passion for the Cévennes with visitors.
To find out more about the National Park : www.cevennes-parcnational.fr