A national nature reserve, in French ''réserve naturelle nationale'', (RNN) is a
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
that is part of natural reserves of France (RNF) and whose status is defined by the law on local democracy of February 27, 2002. It is a tool for the long-term protection of spaces, species or geological objects. The duration of its protection is unlimited.
History
In 1912, the first French nature reserve was created in Sept-Îles archipelago as a private ornithological reserve. It will be classified in 1976. In 1961, the first RNN created is Lake Luitel in
Isère
Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.
Legislation
The Law n° 57-740 of July 1, 1957 amended the Law of May 2, 1930 by adding an article 8 bis allowing the classification of a site as a "nature reserve". It allowed the subsequent creation of national nature reserves by Law n ° 76-629 of July 10, 1976 relating to protection of nature.Loi n°76-629 du 10 juillet 1976 relative à la protection de la nature Le droit de la protection de la nature en France, Virginie et Jean-Charles Croquet, site droitnature.free.fr. Afterwards, the law on local democracy of February 27, 2002 redefined their status by distinguishing between:
* national nature reserves
* regional nature reserves
* natural reserves of Corsica
National nature reserves are classified by ministerial decree or by decree in the Council of State.
Inventory
As of February 1, 2020, there are 167 national nature reserves covering 67,681,656 ha distributed in:
* 151 RNN in mainland France
* 16 RNN in overseas territories
The smallest RNNs are Toarcien with 0.61 ha and Gravelle Cave with 1.37 ha
The largest are
French Southern Territories
The French Southern and Antarctic Lands (french: Terres australes et antarctiques françaises, TAAF) is an Overseas Territory (french: Territoire d'outre-mer or ) of France. It consists of:
# Adélie Land (), the French claim on the continent ...