Mercantour National Park
Encyclopedia
Mercantour National Park is one of the nine national parks of France
. Since it was created in 1979, the Mercantour Park has proven popular, with 800,000 visitors every year enjoying the 600 km of marked footpaths and visiting its villages.
, Bévéra
, Vésubie
, Tinée
, Haut Var
/Cians
(in the Alpes-Maritimes
) plus Verdon
and Ubaye
(in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
) - and a peripheral zone comprising 28 villages. Many of them are perched villages,such as Belvédère
at the entrance to the spectacular Gordolasque
valley, concealing great architectural riches (numerous churches decorated with murals and altar pieces by primitive Niçois
painters). More than 150 rural sites are located within the Park. Around Mont Bégo
there are petroglyph
s pecked out on schist and granite faces. They have been dated from the late Neolithic and Bronze Ages.
at 3,143 m), lies a gem listed as a Historical Monument, the famous Vallée des Merveilles
, the aptly named "valley of marvels". At the foot of Mont Bégo
, climbers can admire some 37,000 petroglyph
s dating back to the Bronze Age
, representing weapons, cattle and human figures that are sometimes very mysterious. A less challenging destination is the Musée des Merveilles
at Tende
.
, the Mediterranean olive tree
, rhododendron
s, fir
s, spruce
s, swiss pine
s and above all larch
es, the Mercantour is also endowed with more than 2,000 species of flowering plants, 200 of which are very rare: edelweiss
and martagon lily are the best known, but there is also saxifrage
with multiple flowers, houseleek
, moss campion
and gentian
offering a multi-coloured palette in the spring. The Mercantour is the site of a large-scale All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory and Monitoring programme to identify all its living species, organised by the European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy (EDIT).
, several thousand of which live in the park and may often hear the whistling of marmot
s. The ermine
is rarer (and more furtive), as is the ibex and the mouflon
, although with a little luck you may be able to observe them during the coolest parts of the day in the summer.
There is a tremendous variety of wildlife in the Mercantour: Red Deer
and Roe Deer
in the undergrowth, hare
s and wild boars, partridge
s, Golden Eagle
s and Buzzard
s, numerous species of butterflies and even about 50 Italian Wolves (which migrated there at the beginning of the nineties). A Wolves Centre welcomes visitors in Saint-Martin-Vésubie
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Since it was created in 1979, the Mercantour Park has proven popular, with 800,000 visitors every year enjoying the 600 km of marked footpaths and visiting its villages.
Extent
The protected area covers some 685 km², consisting of a central uninhabited zone comprising seven valleys - RoyaRoya
Roya may refer to:*Roya , a female proper name, of Arabic origin, meaning "sweet dream", "premonition," or "vision." It is used mainly in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Persia, Arabic countries, Azerbaijan, and Turkey...
, Bévéra
Bévéra
The Bévéra or Bevera is a river of southeastern France and northwestern Italy. Its source is in the Maritime Alps, near Moulinet in the French Alpes-Maritimes department. It flows generally southeast, through Sospel, crosses the Italian border and discharges into the river Roya, near Ventimiglia...
, Vésubie
Vésubie
The Vésubie is a river located in the southeast of France. It is a left tributary of the Var River in the Maritime Alps. The source is in the Mercantour National park near the border with Italy. The river flows through the town of Saint-Martin-Vésubie which is a major center for hiking...
, Tinée
Tinée
The Tinée is a river that flows through the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeastern France. Its source is on the east side of the Col de la Bonette, in the Maritime Alps. It flows through Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, Isola and Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée, and it flows into the Var near Utelle.-External...
, Haut Var
Var River
The Var is a river located in the southeast of France. The name Var originates from the Ligurian word for waterway.The Var flows through the Alpes-Maritimes département for most of its length, with a short stretch in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département...
/Cians
Cians
The Cians is a mountain river that flows through the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeastern France. Its source is in the mountains north of Beuil, and it flows into the Var in Touët-sur-Var.The Cians flows though the following communes:...
(in the Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...
) plus Verdon
Verdon River
The Verdon is a 166 km long river in south-eastern France, left tributary of the Durance. Its source is at an altitude of 2819 m, in the south-western Alps , between the col d'Allos and the Trois Eveches mountain, south of Barcelonnette...
and Ubaye
Ubaye
The Ubaye is a river of southeastern France. It is 83 km long and flows through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department.Its rises at the Col de Longet, in the Cottian Alps on the border with Italy. It flows generally southwest, through Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye, Jausiers and Barcelonnette...
(in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is a French department in the south of France, it was formerly part of the province of Provence.- History :Nord-de-Provence was one of the 83 original departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
) - and a peripheral zone comprising 28 villages. Many of them are perched villages,such as Belvédère
Belvédère
Belvédère is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. The village of Belvédère is an attractive village sitting above the river Vésubie at the entrance of the Gordolasque valley.-Population:-History:-The Bronze Age:...
at the entrance to the spectacular Gordolasque
Gordolasque
The Gordolasque is a mountain river that flows from the Mercantour National Park in the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeastern France. Its source is in the Maritime Alps, near the Italian border...
valley, concealing great architectural riches (numerous churches decorated with murals and altar pieces by primitive Niçois
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
painters). More than 150 rural sites are located within the Park. Around Mont Bégo
Mont Bégo
Mont Bégo is a mountain in the Mercantour massif of the Maritime Alps, in southern France, with an altitude of . It is included in the Vallée des Merveilles ....
there are petroglyph
Petroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
s pecked out on schist and granite faces. They have been dated from the late Neolithic and Bronze Ages.
Geography
In the heart of this setting of vertiginous summits (including Mont Gélas, the highest point in the Maritime AlpsMaritime Alps
The Maritime Alps are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between the French département Alpes-Maritimes and the Italian province of Cuneo. The Col de Tende separates them from the Ligurian Alps; the Maddalena Pass separates them from the Cottian Alps...
at 3,143 m), lies a gem listed as a Historical Monument, the famous Vallée des Merveilles
Vallée des Merveilles
The Vallée des Merveilles, also known in Italian as the Valle delle Meraviglie , is a part of the Mercantour National Park in southern France...
, the aptly named "valley of marvels". At the foot of Mont Bégo
Mont Bégo
Mont Bégo is a mountain in the Mercantour massif of the Maritime Alps, in southern France, with an altitude of . It is included in the Vallée des Merveilles ....
, climbers can admire some 37,000 petroglyph
Petroglyph
Petroglyphs are pictogram and logogram images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, and abrading. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions of the technique to refer to such images...
s dating back to the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, representing weapons, cattle and human figures that are sometimes very mysterious. A less challenging destination is the Musée des Merveilles
Musée des Merveilles
Musée des Merveilles in Tende in France is a museum that documents stone age and other historic artefacts from the Mercantour National Park. It opened in 1996. There is notably a large collection of real and reproduced petroglyphs from the surroundings of the nearby Bégo Mountain.The museum's name...
at Tende
Tende
Tende is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-Geography:Tende is located within Mercantour National Park in the French Alps. The mountainous commune is bordered by Italy to the north, with the boundary determined by the watershed line between the two countries...
.
Flora
In addition to the holm oakHolm Oak
Quercus ilex, the Holm Oak or Holly Oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It takes its name from holm, an ancient name for holly...
, the Mediterranean olive tree
Olive Tree
The Olive Tree was a denomination used for several successive centre-left Italian political coalitions from 1995 to 2007.The historical leader and ideologue of these coalitions was Romano Prodi, Professor of Economics and former leftist Christian Democrat, who invented the name and the symbol of...
, rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s, fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
s, spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
s, swiss pine
Swiss Pine
The Swiss Pine or Arolla Pine, Pinus cembra, is a species of pine tree that occurs in the Alps and Carpathian Mountains of central Europe, in Poland , Switzerland, France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania. It typically grows at to altitude. It often reaches the...
s and above all larch
Larch
Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...
es, the Mercantour is also endowed with more than 2,000 species of flowering plants, 200 of which are very rare: edelweiss
Edelweiss
Edelweiss , Leontopodium alpinum, is a well-known European mountain flower, belonging to the sunflower family.-Names:The common name comes from German edel, meaning "noble", and weiß "white", thus signifying "noble whiteness".The scientific name Leontopodium is a Latin adaptation of Greek...
and martagon lily are the best known, but there is also saxifrage
Saxifrage
Saxifraga is the largest genus in the family Saxifragaceae, containing about 440 species of Holarctic perennial plants, known as saxifrages. The Latin word saxifraga means literally "stone-breaker", from Latin + ...
with multiple flowers, houseleek
Houseleek
Sempervivum , known as Houseleeks or Liveforever, are a genus of about 40 species of succulent plants of the Crassulaceae family which grow in rosettes...
, moss campion
Moss campion
Silene acaulis, moss campion, is a small mountain-dwelling wildflower that is common all over the high arctic and the higher mountains of Eurasia and North America, .It is densely tufted, forming domed cushions composed of long shoots with four or five small green...
and gentian
Gentian
Gentiana is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gentian family , tribe Gentianeae and monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species, it is considered a large genus.-Habitat:...
offering a multi-coloured palette in the spring. The Mercantour is the site of a large-scale All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory and Monitoring programme to identify all its living species, organised by the European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy (EDIT).
Fauna
Walkers may easily glimpse a chamoisChamois
The chamois, Rupicapra rupicapra, is a goat-antelope species native to mountains in Europe, including the Carpathian Mountains of Romania, the European Alps, the Tatra Mountains, the Balkans, parts of Turkey, and the Caucasus. The chamois has also been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand...
, several thousand of which live in the park and may often hear the whistling of marmot
Marmot
The marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
s. The ermine
Ermine
Ermine has several uses:* A common name for the stoat * The white fur and black tail end of this animal, which is historically worn by and associated with royalty and high officials...
is rarer (and more furtive), as is the ibex and the mouflon
Mouflon
The mouflon is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis aries. Populations of Ovis aries can be partitioned into the mouflons and urials or arkars...
, although with a little luck you may be able to observe them during the coolest parts of the day in the summer.
There is a tremendous variety of wildlife in the Mercantour: Red Deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
and Roe Deer
Roe Deer
The European Roe Deer , also known as the Western Roe Deer, chevreuil or just Roe Deer, is a Eurasian species of deer. It is relatively small, reddish and grey-brown, and well-adapted to cold environments. Roe Deer are widespread in Western Europe, from the Mediterranean to Scandinavia, and from...
in the undergrowth, hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
s and wild boars, partridge
Partridge
Partridges are birds in the pheasant family, Phasianidae. They are a non-migratory Old World group.These are medium-sized birds, intermediate between the larger pheasants and the smaller quails. Partridges are native to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East...
s, Golden Eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
s and Buzzard
Buzzard
A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.-Old World:In the Old World Buzzard can mean:* One of several medium-sized, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings....
s, numerous species of butterflies and even about 50 Italian Wolves (which migrated there at the beginning of the nineties). A Wolves Centre welcomes visitors in Saint-Martin-Vésubie
Saint-Martin-Vésubie
Saint-Martin-Vésubie is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-History:San Martin first appears in recorded history in the 12th century, although there are archaeological remnants of a Romanized indigenous population dating back to the 1st century.The medieval castrum,...
.