Nature reserves: the history of the mountains

There are no less than five Nature Reserves in the Pays du Mont-Blanc. This highlights the fact that the local natural heritage is both rich and fragile. In these protected areas, the plants, wildlife and landscapes are naturally maintained, preserved and valorised. 

Nature reserves will make it possible for future generations to enjoy all the treasures of the mountains. Although their prime vocation is to protect the environment, these natural spaces also manage, organize and protect the mountains. All the activities essential to life in all its forms must be nurtured. Take the reserve paths, relax in this formidably wild nature and benefit from the teaching centres. Wonderful opportunities to prepare your mountain hikes and understand the area's beauties and fragilities. From the high mountain valleys to the crystalline ranges, from the glacier systems to the mountain forests, all the marvels of the Pays du Mont-Blanc are very different. The Aiguilles Rouges reserve and its botanical garden, the glacier off-shoots at Les Contamines-Montjoie and  Carlaveyron, a refuge for golden eagles, Passy and its extremely wide botanical diversity plants and Bérard valley where bird migrations accurately signal changes in Earth's climate. Walk in these reserves, respect them, their silence and their calm. You will return to the bustling world again even more conscious of the efforts needed to continue to protect mountain ecosystems.