THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE MONTS D'AZURAS THE DRIVER OF CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION

The interactions between wildlife (animal and plant) and human activities are as old as humanity itself. Depending on the time and place, they take multiple forms: sometimes as conscious coexistence but most often as rivalry or conflict.

 

These interactions result above all from the dependence, most often ignored, of human societies on the complex natural processes that surround them.

The current perception of Western societies reveals the difficulties we have, as a civilization, to anchor our living systems and acting accordingly. It is therefore becoming URGENT to label at least 20% of French territory as a Free Evolution Natural Zone (1.7% of the surface currently !) as we are doing on the Monts d’Azur Reserve.

TO BETTER UNDERSTAND OUR TERRITORIES, ALLOW WILD GROWTH

The vegetation of the Reserve des Monts d’Azur evolves under a single constraint: the presence of large herbivores. Thanks to them, our pine forests are grassy.

A MOSAIC OF HABITATS

In the high country of Grasse, at an altitude between 1,200 and 1,700 m, the Reserve occupies a valley open to the west on the plain of Caille. To the north, it is bordered by the Montagne de Bleine, the highest point at 1,700 m, to the south by the high valley of the Loup.

 

Between 1200m (lowest point) and 1400m, high altitude meadows dominate, grouped around the old Manor. The slopes are few and converge towards a bubbling stream that feeds 3 wetlands with high biological potential: more than 25 species of aquatic plants and 14 trees are inventoried in this sector. The plant growth of these meadows is also very diverse: around forty listed species, mainly grass and wild leguminous plants. These meadows evolve freely, the plant facies vary from year to year, ranging from narcissus and Orphys in rainy years to the southern globethistle and the Queen-of-the-Alps in dry years.

 

At the subalpine level, the steep limestone cliffs are covered with aromatic plants (thyme, lavender, sage, etc.), Cytisophyllum and boxwood. There are also scattered with islets of deciduous trees (beech trees, whitebeam trees, rowan, etc.), giving way to a mountain floor with peaks mainly covered with Scots pines