Vercors Regional Natural Park
Template:Geobox The Vercors Regional Natural Park (French: Parc naturel régional du Vercors) is a protected area of forested mountains in the Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France.
Geography
Set upon a limestone plateau south of Grenoble, the park extends into the French Western Alps.[citation needed] It spans two departments, Drôme and Isère, and covers a total area of 135,000 hectares (330,000 acres).[1] The plateau's main elevation reaches 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) while the eastern Alpine mountain ridge tops 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) with Le Grand Veymont (2341m).[citation needed]
The Vercors area is peppered with caves. During World War II, it served as a safe and defensible position for the French Resistance: Forteresse de la Résistance.[2] The area now contains around three hundred monuments to the Resistance, including a memorial center and the preserved remains of a destroyed village.[3]
In modern times, Vercors has become a popular tourist destination frequented for skiing, hiking and spelunking.[2] Several small communes dot the landscape, supported principally by forestry, shepherding and tourism.[citation needed] The area was officially designated a regional natural park in 1970.[1]
Member communes
The Vercors parklands include the following communes:[4][5] Template:Multicol
- Auberives-en-Royans
- Autrans
- Beaufort-sur-Gervanne
- Beauvoir-en-Royans
- Bouvante
- Chamaloc
- Château-Bernard
- Châtelus
- Châtillon-en-Diois
- Chichilianne
- Choranche
- Clelles
- Cognin-les-Gorges
- Combovin
- Corrençon-en-Vercors
- Crest
- Die
- Échevis
- Engins
- Gigors-et-Lozeron
- Glandage
- Grenoble
- Gresse-en-Vercors
- Izeron
- La Chapelle-en-Vercors
- La Motte-Fanjas
- La Rivière
- Lans-en-Vercors
- Laval-d'Aix
- Le Chaffal
- Le Gua
- Léoncel
- Lus-la-Croix-Haute
- Malleval-en-Vercors
- Marignac-en-Diois
- Méaudre
- Miribel-Lanchâtre
- Le Monestier-du-Percy
- Montaud
- Omblèze
- Oriol-en-Royans
- Percy
- Plan-de-Baix
- Ponet-et-Saint-Auban
- Pont-en-Royans
- Presles
- Rencurel
- Rochechinard
- Romans-sur-Isère
- Romeyer
- Rovon
- Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors
- Saint-Andéol, Drôme
- Saint-Andéol, Isère
- Saint-André-en-Royans
- Saint-Gervais
- Saint-Guillaume
- Saint-Jean-en-Royans
- Saint-Julien-en-Quint
- Saint-Julien-en-Vercors
- Saint-Just-de-Claix
- Saint-Laurent-en-Royans
- Saint-Marcellin
- Saint-Martin-de-Clelles
- Saint-Martin-en-Vercors
- Saint-Martin-le-Colonel
- Saint-Michel-les-Portes
- Saint-Nazaire-en-Royans
- Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte
- Saint-Paul-lès-Monestier
- Saint-Pierre-de-Chérennes
- Saint-Romans
- Saint-Thomas-en-Royans
- Saint-Paul-de-Varces
- Sainte-Croix
- Sainte-Eulalie-en-Royans
- Treschenu-Creyers
- Vachères-en-Quint
- Vassieux-en-Vercors
- Villard-de-Lans
- Vinay
Partially affiliated
- Claix
- Fontaine
- Noyarey
- Saint-Quentin-sur-Isère
- Sassenage
- Seyssinet-Pariset
- Seyssins
- Varces-Allières-et-Risset
- Veurey-Voroize
See also
References
- ^ a b IUCN Commission on National Parks and Protected Areas (November 1990). 1990 United Nations list of national parks and protected areas. IUCN. p. 89. ISBN 978-2-8317-0032-8. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
- ^ a b Nicola Williams; Oliver Berry; Steve Fallon (2009). France. Lonely Planet. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-74104-915-2. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ Charles Edwin Closmann (2009). War and the environment: military destruction in the modern age. Texas A&M University Press. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-60344-169-8. Retrieved 14 August 2011.
- ^ "Liste des communes du parc naturel régional du Vercors" (in French). Annuaire-mairie.fr. 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ Maison du Parc (2011). "Un Parc, 85 communes" (in French). Parc naturel régional du Vercors. Retrieved 19 October 2011.