Created in 1984 by decree, the Haute-Provence national geological nature reserve, the largest in Europe, covers an area of 230,000 hectares between the Alpes de Haute-Provence and the Var. It covers the Digne nappe de charriage, the Castellane folded arc, the Digne-Valensole basin and the Var Provencal ranges. It protects geological sites, paleontological sites and landscapes with folded and fractured layers. Among the geotopes highlighted are the Dalle aux ammonites (ammonite slab) in Digne, the Ichthyosaur site in La Robine and the Sirenian site in Castellane.
Its missions:
Among its many missions, the main ones are :
– ensure the legal and physical protection of geological heritage in situ (e.g. by creating reception facilities) and ex situ (collection management).
– knowledge acquisition (scientific aspect).
Regulations
As you walk through the nature reserve, a protected natural area, you may come across agents commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment to ensure compliance with regulations.
- On the 18 sites classified as National Nature Reserves by ministerial decree, it is forbidden to damage, extract, collect or take away mineral substances or fossils. Any work likely to alter the state or appearance of the site is also prohibited.
- In order to preserve the natural geological heritage, the removal, destruction or degradation of fossils, minerals and concretions is prohibited within the protected area (59 communes). However, the manual removal of pieces naturally exposed by erosion is tolerated, provided it is carried out in limited quantities.
