Nature reserve of "Haut-Rhône Français"

About

The Haut-Rhône Nature Reserve was founded in 2013 and covers an area of 1,707 hectares on the banks of the River Rhone’s upper stretches. It is the largest river and forest reserve in France and is home to an astonishing array of plant and animal life.

The Haut-Rhône Nature Reserve stretches for 26km along the River Rhone’s banks and is shared between 3 départements Savoy, Isère and the villages of Saint-Benoît, Groslée, Lhuis and Brégnier-Cordon in Ain. The reserve’s boundaries cover wild and unspoilt parts of the Rhône River such as the Evieu Forest and the Saugey Meander, an area where the Rhône River once flowed but today has completely dried out. The Haut-Rhône Nature Reserve is also home to a wide range of flora and fauna. Animals that live in the reserve include beavers, otters and the uncommon yellow bellied toad. The Eurasian Hobby, Little Egrets and Purple Herons are just some of the birds that inhabit the reserve. There are also a wide verity of habitats in the reserve such as forests, reed beds, willow and flood plains. This allows an even greater range of plant life to thrive in the reserve, for example the Water Violet, the Great Moat Buttercup, the Small Water Nymph and the Fritillary all grow abundantly here.