Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park (french: Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc) is a

regional natural park A regional nature park or regional natural park (french: parc naturel régional or PNR) is a public establishment in France between local authorities and the French national government covering an inhabited rural area of outstanding beauty in ord ...

in the south of the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,00 ...

within the

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants o ...

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.Tarn departments of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. These areas are considered the Haut-

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

, compared to the Bas-Languedoc. Administered by the Federation of French Regional Nature Parks (french: Fédération des Parcs Naturels Régionaux de France), it was created on 22 October 1973 and revised on 17 August 1999. It has an area of 2,605 km², with 82,000 people living within its boundaries. The park (coordinates 43.52898, 2.6984) comprises a very diverse range of landscapes, which is why seven different areas have been officially defined within it: * Caroux-Espinouse *

Montagne noire The Montagne Noire ( oc, Montanha Negra, known as the 'Black Mountain' in English) is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central at the juncture of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departm ...

* Monts de Lacaune * Monts d'Orb * Plateau des Lacs *

Sidobre The Sidobre is a mountainous area located in the south of the Massif central, in central France. It consists of a plateau made of granite, 15.3 km long, 6.6 km wide and covered with forests. Its highest point is in the ''lieu-dit'' “L ...

* Vignes et Vallées The park provides a habitat for more than 240 species of

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

, in a stunningly diverse range of

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...

and scenery. It also provides a home for

mouflon The mouflon (''Ovis gmelini'') is a wild sheep native to Cyprus, the Caspian Sea, Caspian region from eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. It is thought to be the ancestor of all modern domestic sheep breeds. Taxonomy ''Ovis gmelini'' ...

s, successfully reintroduced from

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

External links

Official website
Haut-Languedoc Geography of Aveyron Geography of Hérault Geography of Tarn (department) Protected areas established in 1973 Tourist attractions in Occitania (administrative region) Tourist attractions in Aveyron Tourist attractions in Hérault Tourist attractions in Tarn (department) {{Europe-protected-area-stub