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The Delta de la Dranse National Nature Reserve is a nature reserve located in the delta of the Dranse river. The reserve is located to the east of the commune of Thonon-les-Bains in southeastern France. At long by wide, it covers a small area of at an elevation ranging from . Offering a rich botanic biodiversity, the site was declared a national nature reserve in January 1980 Décret ministériel n° 80–97 du 17 janvier 1980 portant création de la réserve naturelle du delta de la Dranse and declared a special "zone of protection" since September 1986.
The beach of the last river delta along Lake Geneva is constituted of alluvium, sand, stones, and
The beach of the last river delta along Lake Geneva is constituted of alluvium, sand, stones, and pebble
A pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of based on the Udden-Wentworth scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered larger than granules ( in diameter) and smaller than cobbles ( in diameter). A rock made predominant ...
s. The sandy beaches and small islands are constantly being formed by the path of the rising torrential river, which has resulted in the expansion of a rich diversity of flora and wildlife. The reserve shelters:
* Close to 750 plant species including orchids;
* More than 200 species of birds, notably the red-crested pochard, the little ringed plover – the reserve is the only nesting site for the common tern in the larger Rhone basin, additionally it is the southernmost point where the common gull nests;
* Numerous reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...
s and amphibian
Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...
species are equally represented;
* European beavers are well established along the banks.
Notes and references
{{reflist Nature reserves in France Geography of Haute-Savoie Protected areas established in 1980 Lake Geneva Tourist attractions in Haute-Savoie