Nature sentinels
Hautes-Alpes, sentinels of nature
The Écrins National Park, the Queyras and Baronnies Provençales Regional Nature Parks, nature reserves and biodiversity sanctuaries, the Hautes-Alpes are like sentinels of nature in an era of upheaval. Fresh air and wide open spaces are more than just a backdrop: they become an essential, almost vital, experience for those who come here to recharge their batteries. This is one of the great privileges of a trip to the
the most unspoilt territory in the alpine arc
Parks
as refuges
The Écrins National Park (925 km²), the Queyras Regional Nature Park (650 km²) and the Baronnies provençales Regional Nature Park (1,560 km²) form a protective belt around exceptional landscapes. Added to this are the
The breath
of wild animals
In the Hautes-Alpes, the silence is often broken by the soaring golden eagle or the whistling marmot. Ibexes, chamois, bearded vultures, black grouse and the Ecrins trout all bear witness to a resilient yet fragile fauna. Insects, also tireless foragers, are part of this discreet mountain symphony. Their encounters, whether fleeting or prolonged, hold the promise of raw emotion.
The richness
of mountain flowers
Each season reveals an unexpected carpet of vegetation. Blue gentians, edelweiss, martagon lilies or lavender from the Baronnies: the flora of the Hautes-Alpes is a journey between altitude and the Mediterranean. These plants, often rare, have learned to cling to the slopes, resist the cold or capture the slightest drop of water. And the trees, whether luminous larches or gnarled cembro pines, complete this living tableau, offering shelter and permanence. Their fragility commands respect.
Water,
shared treasure
From the glaciers of the Écrins to the rushing rivers of the Durance and Guil, water shapes the face of the département. It irrigates the valleys, feeds the orchards and waters the villages. A precious and threatened resource, it is a daily reminder that the mountains are a water tower to be preserved. In the Hautes-Alpes, to follow the flow of water is to understand the intimate link between people and their environment.
A scientist first and foremost, Richard Bonnet watches over the fragile balance between fauna, flora and human activities from the heart of the Écrins National Park. Head of the scientific department, he scrutinizes the slightest signals that the mountain sends out: retreating glaciers, species migrations, new pressures. A man of the field, he embodies the rigor of research in the service of a natural heritage he defends with unshakeable conviction.
