Camargue Regional Natural Park

Logo of the nature park

The Camargue Regional Nature Park ( French Parc naturel régional de Camargue ) extends in the French department Bouches-du-Rhône in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region . It is located in the Camargue landscape of the same name , in the delta of the Rhône . The area extends roughly between the mouths of the Grand Rhône and Petit Rhône and thus includes the Grande Camargue , but also parts of the Petite Camargue in the southwest , which are on this side of the border to the neighboring region of Occitania . The park administration is based in Mas du Pont de Rousty ( 43 ° 29 ′ 24 ″ N , 4 ° 24 ′ 16 ″ E, coordinates: 43 ° 29 ′ 24 ″ N , 4 ° 24 ′ 16 ″ E ). 43.49 4.4044444444444

The nature park was founded in 1970 and covers an area of 86,000 hectares. The area is only very sparsely populated with around 7200 inhabitants and is on the territory of the municipalities

Arles and
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

In front of the coastline there is another 3 miles wide strip of sea, which is also assigned to the nature park.

landscape

Map of the Camargue

Aerial view of the Camargue; Middle: Petit Rhône

The area of the nature park was geologically created by the Rhône, which with its regular floods and the mighty bed load led to a heavy silting of the estuary and formed the mighty delta of the Camargue. Thanks to canalization and the construction of protective dams along the Rhône, there are hardly any floods these days, and the water supply has to be artificially controlled in order to maintain the ecosystem .

The nature park consists of around 55% natural landscape and is divided into the following areas:

The Upper Camargue (west and south of the city of Arles) is mainly used for agriculture, with the cultivation of crops , including rice and cattle breeding ( Camargue horse and Camargue cattle ) to be emphasized.
The Middle Camargue is in the center of the nature reserve around the brackish water -See Etang de Vaccarès embossed, known for its rich population of waterfowl is known. The greater flamingo in particular has become a trademark of the nature park. Otherwise dominated wetlands with reed beds and beach lilac .
The Lower Camargue is dominated by sandy beaches and salt water lagoons , in the southeast the salt in the Salin-de-Giraud is extracted economically.