Guideline 1

Created in 1989 at the initiative of the Lorraine and Franche-Comté Regions, the Ballon des Vosges Regional Natural Park regroups 192 communes across four departments: Vosges, Haut-Rhin, Territory of Belfort and Haute-Saône.

To preserve biological wealth and landscape diversity throughout the territory

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The Park’s natural environment plays a major role in wildlife development and shapes landscapes: natural meadows, forests, rivers, wetlands.

Three main types of species have been identified: Large Ungulate, Lynx, Capercaillie. Landscapes are a very precious natural heritage and forge the Ballons des Vosges identity. The territory project identifies several landscape structures: the Hautes-Vosges, the Plateau des Mille Etangs, the Valleys and the Alsatian wine-growing foothills.

The aim is to maintain open and diversified landscapes (combatting fallows caused by changes in agriculture), and to preserve biodiversity.

Landscape issues and ecological continuity rate at different scales:
• Supra-regional (European forest continuum, national biodiversity plan, interregional plan for high ecological value forests and the Capercaillie, implemented by the European Landscape Convention),
• Regional (Green and Blue Belts, Regional Nature Reserves, landscape plans),
• Departmental (Sensitive Natural Areas Policy, Landscape Plans, Gerplan) and communal (green belts).

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