French artist, writer, mountaineer and ecologist, Samivel (Paul Gayet-Tancrède) once described the Parc national de la Vanoise in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region as the grand jardin des Français.
Some 400km of trails wind through the Tarentaise and Maurienne valleys of the French Alps, with the stunning views often framed by towering mountains, some more than 3,000m high.
This outdoor haven is France’s first national park, where ecological protection has been a focus since the beginning.
Inspired by the opening of the Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso in Italy in 1922 to safeguard the Alpine ibex, Dr Marcel Couturier pioneered a project for a “reserve” in the Savoie area to protect the animals living on the French side of the border.
Considered to be France’s first environmentalist, Dr Couturier brought together hunters and mountaineers, particularly the Maurienne Club Alpin Français (CAF), who were also concerned about the potential extinction of the chamois, a mountain antelope.
Endangered species
After World War Two, whispers of an official ‘parc national de Savoie’ began to circulate, supported by Gilbert André, a former mayor of Bonneval-sur-Arc.
André campaigned to not only protect the ibex and chamois, but also the inhabitants and their traditions such as agropastoralism, which includes livestock breeding and cheese production.
In 1955, he submitted a proposal for a park to the Conseil national de la protection de la nature and, upon the Ministry’s request, a preliminary investigation was submitted by urban architect Denys Pradelle in 1960.
The rest, as they say, is history, and the park was officially created in 1963.
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With Joseph Fontanet as its first president supported by Maurice Bardel as first director, a team of 36 rangers was assembled, with the first two female rangers joining the team in 1981 (one of them, Danièle Bonnevie, only retired this year).
The ibex has flourishedPNV - SEVE Victor
Protecting the ibex
The team set about improving access while organising the protection of the ibex, as well as large birds of prey and galliformes [heavy bodied ground-feeding birds], with flora becoming a priority soon after.
They also restored and built huts, or chaloins, for accommodation.
“There were huts for the alpine club at the beginning of the 19th century, but these were only for mountain experts,” explained Samuel Cado, the park’s deputy director and head of development and communications.
“As the park also had to cater for tourism, the first rangers built footpaths and huts to lure visitors to the park and boost the economic development of the region."
Today, there are 70 team members, with more than 40 rangers in the summer, and their role remains the same, albeit on a larger scale.
“Their main missions are developing knowledge of the area, its wildlife and flora, and to protect this via careful management and control.
“This includes supporting sustainable pastoralism (animal husbandry) in the park, maintaining footpaths and signage, welcoming tourists in visitor centres and mountain huts, and environmental education for young people in schools,” Mr Cado said.
A culturally and historically significant ecosystem, the heart of the park spans 55,300 hectares under special protection set by a decree of the Council of State.
It consists of 33 natural habitats, more than 2,860 plant species (including 300 protected at national level), nearly 1,000 species of fungi, 325 species of vertebrates (representing 65% of the vertebrates present in metropolitan France, of which 92% are protected species) and five nature reserves.
It is a huge landscape that spans the Vanoise massif, Parc national de Port-Cros et Porquerolles and encompasses the national nature reserves Grande Sassière, Plan de Tuéda, Tignes-Champagny and Bailletaz, with the National Forestry Office managing the Hauts de Villaroger National Nature Reserve.
Visitor surveys reveal that the main attractions are the wildlife (specifically the ibex, marmots, and bearded vulture), the spectacular landscapes, flowers, the rocks and glaciers, and the tranquillity.
Due to its 14km stretch of shared border with the Italian Gran Paradiso National Park, it forms one of the largest protected areas in Western Europe, covering 1,250km².
The complex geological structures at varying altitudes include rock types such as limestone, gypsum, sandstone, quartzite, schist, mica schist, gneiss and more, which help contribute to its value.
Spot rare birds
Golden eagles, crossbills, nutcrackers, eagle owls, rock sparrows, black woodpeckers, rock partridges, three-toed woodpeckers (in France found only in Savoie and Haute-Savoie) and wallcreepers are among the birds that can be seen.
Meanwhile, autumn visitors are advised to listen out for local stags – their bellowing can be heard from late September onwards.
It is also a superb season for walking and hiking, as the mountains are less crowded and the forests turn a spectacular shade of red, orange and gold.
The park includes 25 municipalities and 40 shelters – 16 belong to the park – and nearly 30% of land is reserved for agriculture, specifically for breeding cows for cheese (Beaufort) and sheep.
Conservation projects include maintaining wetlands, natural forests and monitoring global changes, with a current focus on the Gébroulaz glacier.
Visitor numbers
With an estimated 500,000 visitors per year, and popular villages and ski resorts such as Val d’lsère and Tignes within or surrounding the park, tourism has a major influence on how the park is managed.
“One thing to keep in mind is the question of the balance between protection and economic tourism and pastoralism. Visitors need to be discreet in the park to keep it in good health,” said Mr Cado.
“We are lucky that we don’t suffer from over-tourism.
“The reason is that we are quite far from urban areas with nearby mountains being more crowded.
“Of course, we have peaks, mainly between July 14 and August 15, but most of the visitors are respectful.”
The park is free to enter and open to all, but visitors are asked to follow the guidelines in place to protect wildlife and reduce their impact on the land.
Dogs, for example, are not allowed (even on a lead), drones are not permitted, and bathing in the lakes, feeding or approaching animals and picking flowers are all prohibited.
Staying in a mountain hut with a knowledgeable ranger is highly recommended, available through educational programmes for schools or to the general public at specific times.
“‘Rustic’ is the key here. There is a big focus on consumption and waste management, monitoring energy use, water and waste,” said Mr Cado.
It's a good opportunity to come back to the basics of life and the cycle of things. These are not hotels, it's mountain spirit.
France’s regional and national parks
France has 11 national parks and 58 regional parks.
Its national parks cover 8% of the French territory (metropolitan France and overseas departments) and are a mix of extraordinary landscapes and seascapes. Collectively, they attract more than 8.5 million visitors each year.
Scores of regional parks have also been established, predominantly in inhabited rural areas to promote and preserve the natural, cultural and landscape heritage of those places.
Both are managed and financed slightly differently.
“A national park is born out of a national decision for strong protection of an exceptional territory, with special regulations and a public establishment to manage it,” explained Samuel Cado of Parc national de la Vanoise
“Regional parks are more an agreement between municipalities for sustainable development. But we both have environmental education at our heart, welcoming visitors and developing our knowledge of these environments. So we are cousins.”
The Parc national de la Vanoise’s budget ultimately relies on state funds, particularly from the environment ministry.
For special projects there are departmental, regional or European funds that can be tapped into, although the park also encourages patronage and has a few individual donors.
National parks include: Vanoise (1963), Port-Cros (1963), Pyrenees (1967), Cévennes (1970), Écrins (1973), Mercantour (1979), Guadeloupe (1989), Réunion (2007), Guyana (2007), Calanques (2012) and Parc national de forêts (2019).
