The Regional natural park of the Volcanos of Auvergne is a Regional natural park French, created the October 25th 1977 in the area Auvergne, in the middle of the Massif Central. Of a surface of 395.070 ha, it is the largest regional natural park of France.

Geography

Located in the middle of the Auvergne on the two departments of the Cantal and the Puy-de-Dôme, it is vastest Regional natural park of France. Its altitude oscillates between 400 and 1.886 m and are stretched on 120 km of North in the South. The park counts 395.070 hectares distributed out of the 2 departments. It is composed of 153 common territorial and 19 common partners, who gather 91.200 inhabitants.

The regional park covers 5 natural areas including 4 volcanic solid masses:

and 1 granitic plate:
  • the Artense (approximately 800 m).

The panorama of the Chain of Puys slack a breaking into white horses of cones and domes wooded. On the whole 80 volcanos of recent origin (between ten thousand and six hundred and thousand years). Very different from aspect, the solid mass of the Cantal is only one volcanic building much older (between three two hundred and fifty thousand year and year million) of 150 km turn. It is a country of thermal springs and lakes. The man worked patiently to model his framework of life, to cultivate the fertile ground and to build with lava.

History

The regional natural park of the Volcanos of Auvergne was created, on an agreement between the inhabitants and the District council of Auvergne, on October 25th 1977. It is managed by a Mixed trade-union. Valery Giscard d'Estaing was the president of 1986 to 2004. The seat is with the castle of Montlosier on the commune of Aydat in the department of the Puy-de-Dôme.

Adherent communes of the Park (alphabetical order)

Albepierre-Bredons, Allanche, Anglards-with-Salers, Anzat-le-Luguet, Apchon, Aurières, Aydat, Bagnols, Besse-and-Saint-Anastaise, Bourboule (It), Brezons, Cézens, Ceyrat, Ceyssat, Vault-D' Alagnon (It), Chambon-on-Lake, Chanat-la-Mouteyre, Chanonat, Chantarelle, Coal-scuttle-the-Varennes, Coal-scuttle-the-Old women, Charmensac, Chastel-on-Murat, Chastreix, Chavagnac, Cheylade, Claux (It), Collandres, Compains, Condat, Cussac, Diene, Egliseneuve-d' Entraigues, Espinchal, Falgoux (It), Fontanges, Girgols, Jou-under-Monjou, Joursac, Godivelle (It), Lacapelle-Bars, Landeyrat, Laqueuille, Laroquevieille, Lascelle, Laveissenet, Laveissière, Lavigerie, Loubeyrat, Lugarde, Malbo, Mandailles-Saint-Julien, Manzat, Marcenat, Marchastel, Mazaye, Montboudif, Montgreleix, Murat, Murat-le-Quaire, Mount-Gilds (It), Foamings, Murol, Narnhac, Nébouzat, Nohanent, Olby, Orcines, Orcival, Pailherols, Paulhac, Perpezat, Peyrusse, Picherande, Pierrefort, Pulvérières, Pontgibaud, Pradiers, Rochefort-Mountain, Riom, Saint-Alyre-be-Mountain, Saint-Amandin, Holy-Anastasie, Saint-Bonnet, Saint-Bonnet-with-Condat, Saint-Bonnet-with-Salers, Saint-Bonnet Saint-Chamant, Saint-Cirgues-with-Jordanne, Saint-Clement, Saint-Donat, Saint-Etienne-with-Chomeil, Saint-Genoa-Champanelle, Saint-Genoa-Champespe, Saint-Hippolyte, Saint-Jacques-of-Blats the, Saint-Martin-under-Vigouroux, Saint-Bear, Saint-Paul-with-Salers, Saint-Pierre-Colamine, Saint-Pierre-the-Chastel, Saint-Pierre-Rock, Saint-Project-with-Salers, Saint-Saturnin Saint-Save of Auvergne, Saint-Victor-the-River, Saint-Vincent-with-Salers, Salers, Saulzet-the-Cold, Sayat, Ségur-the-Villas, Thiézac, Tournemire, Turn of Auvergne (It), Trémouille, Trizac, Vernet-Holy-Marguerite (It), Valuéjols, Vaulnier (It), Vernines, Vernols, Vic-on-Cère, Virargues, Volvic

Geology and geomorphology

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Natural heritage

Natural habitats

The park extends primarily on territories from medium mountains, but shelters a great diversity of natural habitats. It is especially remarkable for its many lakes of glacial origin (like Lake-of in-Low with Godivelle) or volcanic (like the Lac Pavin, the Lac Chambon or the Lac of Aydat), the great extents of Estive S of the Cézallier, the valleys (the “Couzes”) and many the Tourbière S of altitude.

Fauna and flora

The fauna and the Flore sheltered by the park are primarily mountain, with some relictuelles species of the glacial periods located in particularly favorable zones such as the peat bogs. Fauna counts among its representatives most known the Chamois, the Corsican Mouflon, the Peregrine falcon, the otter.

Natural reserves

The regional natural park of the Volcanos of Auvergne counts in 2007 three national natural reserves, managed by the Mixed trade-union of the park. Each one shelters a type of quite particular medium, as well as a fauna and a remarkable flora.

The Vallée of Chaudefour protects several forest habitats from medium mountains, the Dyke S, fall and cliffs, of the lawns and meadows, and accommodates remarkable species like the Chamois and the Corsican Mouflon, the Tichodrome échelette, the Peregrine falcon (which is the object of special attentions in order to support its nesting on the site), of the rare plants like the Soldanelle of the Alps or the herbaceous Saule.

The Sagnes of Godivelle protect a Tourbière and others wet Biotope S on approximately 24 ha. It is made up of two parts: largest around Lake-of in-Low, and smallest on the Peaty of Coualle Low, with one kilometer in the north of the Lake. The recencements naturalists acutellement count more than 1500 S faunistic and floristic, of which more than 80 are protected at the regional level with international, and/or are registered on the Red books of the species threatened at the regional level with European. The flora of the peat bog accommodates for example rare species the such Droséra with round sheets, a carnivorous Plante, and the Ligulaire of Siberia. Several remarkable species of butterfly S are also present on the site, just like from the Coléoptère S, Orthoptère S, etc many Oiseau X migrating come to make stopover also there.

The Rocher of the Jacket is a small reserve of 17 ha which however shelters a remarkable natural wealth, in particular in insects. Thus nearly 70% of the diurnal species of butterflies known in the department of the Puy-de-Dôme was recencées on the reserve, of which rare and emblematic species like the Apollo ( Parnassius apollo ).

Products of the soil “Regional natural park of the Volcanos of Auvergne”

Like the other regional natural parks, the park of the volcanos has also the role to promote and preserve its production artisanal. For that, the parks have a tool of certification, the “Mark Park”, deposited by the French Department of the Environment near the National institute of the industrial property.

On the territory of the Park, three products are currently profit “Mark Regional natural park of the Volcanos of Auvergne”: the Avèze, Aperitif manufactured starting from roots of yellow Gentian ( Gentiana lutea ); the honey of the park of the volcanos, produced by four labellized owners, declined in three types of products: honey of flowers of mountain of Auvergne, honey of dandelion, honey of chestnut; finally the bovine meat Salers of 37 owners of the Cantal and the Puy-de-Dôme also profit from the Parc mark.

Remarkable sites of the park

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See too

Random links:Will marinade | Saint-Agnant-of-Versillat | Charles Sirois | Ophicléide | King Ghidorah

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