A regional nature park or regional natural park (french: parc naturel régional or PNR) is a public establishment in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

between local authorities and the French national government covering an inhabited rural area of outstanding beauty in order to protect the scenery and heritage as well as set up sustainable economic development in the area. A PNR sets goals and guidelines for managed human habitation, sustainable economic development, and the protection of the natural environment based on each park's unique landscape and heritage. The parks also foster ecological research programs and public education in the natural sciences. As of 2019 there are 53 PNRs. These account for 15% of all French territory, over . The parks encompass over 4,200

communes An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, relig ...

with more than three million inhabitants. The PNR system was created by a decree of March 1, 1967. The territory covered by each PNR is decided by the French Prime Minister and is reexamined every 12 years.

Regional natural parks

In total 49 PNRs have been created, of which one subsequently lost its status and one was renamed. They are listed here in order of creation. * Parc naturel régional de Scarpe-Escaut

Parc naturel régional Scarpe-Escaut (13 September 1968
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* Parc naturel régional de l'Armorique

Parc naturel régional d'Armorique The Parc naturel régional d'Armorique ( br, Park an Arvorig), or Armorica Regional Natural Park, is a rural protected area located in Brittany. The park land reaches from the Atlantic Ocean to hilly inland countryside. There are sandy beaches, sw ...

(30 September 1969
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Parc naturel régional de Camargue The Parc naturel régional de Carmargue is a protected area which was designated in 1970 along the shoreline of the Camargue, France. The park protects a wetland environment and an adjacent marine area. The boundaries of the park have been expanded ...

(25 September 1970
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* Parc naturel régional de la Brière

Parc naturel régional de Brière (16 October 1970
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Parc naturel régional de la Forêt d'Orient Orient Forest Regional Natural Park ( French: ''Parc naturel régional de la Forêt d'Orient'') is a protected area of woodlands and lakes in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It covers a total area of The parkland encompasses the large ...

(16 October 1970
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Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional des Landes de Gascogne'') is a protected area of pine forest, wetland and oceanic coastline located in the Landes de Gascogne natural region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in sou ...

(16 October 1970
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Parc naturel régional du Morvan Morvan Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional du Morvan'') is a protected area of woodlands, lakes and traditional farmland in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central France. It covers a total area of and extends through f ...

(16 October 1970
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Parc naturel régional du Vercors 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 ext ...

(16 October 1970
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* Parc naturel régional de la Corse

Parc naturel régional de Corse The Regional Natural Park of Corsica (french: Parc Naturel Régional de Corse, co, Parcù di Corsica) is a natural park. It was listed in 1972 and then relisted for 10 years in June 1999. The Natural Park covers nearly 40% of the island of Cor ...

(12 May 1972
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* Parc naturel ht languedoc

Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc A mouflon in the park. Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park (french: Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc) is a regional natural park in the south of the Massif Central within the Aveyron, Hérault, and Tarn departments of France. These ar ...

(22 October 1973
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* Parc naturel régional des Boucles de la Seine Normande

''Parc naturel régional de Brotonne'' (17 May 1974. Now known as ''PNR Boucles de la Seine Normande'') *

Parc naturel régional de Lorraine Lorraine Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional de Lorraine'') is a protected area of pastoral countryside in the Grand Est region of northeastern France, in the historic region of Lorraine. The park covers a total area of . The ...

(17 May 1974
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Parc naturel régional du Pilat Pilat Regional Natural Park ( French: ''Parc naturel régional du Pilat'') is a protected area of mountainous countryside in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. The park spans the departments of Loire and Rhône, and covers ...

(17 May 1974
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* Parc naturel régional de Normandie-Maine

Parc naturel régional Normandie-Maine Normandie-Maine Regional Natural Park ( Fr.: ''Parc naturel régional Normandie-Maine'') is a protected area of forest and bocage located in the French regions of Normandy and Pays de la Loire. Geography Spanning the departments of Orne, Manch ...

(23 October 1975
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Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord The Northern Vosges Regional Natural Park ( French: ''Parc naturel régional des Vosges du Nord'') is a protected area of woodland, wetland, farmland and historical sites in the region Grand Est in northeastern France. The area was officially d ...

(14 February 1976
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Parc naturel régional de la Martinique Parc naturel régional de la Martinique is one of 54 French regional nature parks. With a surface area of approximately , it covers more than half of the island, overlapping 32 of 34 communes - including approximately 100,000 inhabitants. The pa ...

(10 September 1976
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Parc naturel régional de la Montagne de Reims Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel régional de la Montagne de Reims'') is a protected area in the Grand Est region of France. It is organized around the Montagne de Reims, a wooded range of hills covered by vineyards ...

(28 September 1976
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Parc naturel régional du Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal: ''Leberon'' or ''Leberoun'' ) is a massif in central Provence in Southern France, part of the French Prealps. It has a maximum elevation of and an area of about . It is composed of three mountain ranges (from we ...

(31 January 1977
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Parc naturel régional du Queyras (31 January 1977
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Parc naturel régional des volcans d'Auvergne (25 October 1977
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*''Parc naturel régional du Marais poitevin'' (created 1979, lost its status 1997) * Parc naturel regional de la Haute-Vallee de Chevreuse

Parc naturel regional de la Haute-Vallee de Chevreuse

Parc naturel régional de la haute vallée de Chevreuse (11 December 1985
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* Parc naturel régional du Livradois-Forez

Parc naturel régional Livradois-Forez Livradois-Forez Regional Natural Park (French: Parc naturel régional Livradois-Forez) is a regional natural park located on three French department : Puy-de-Dôme, Haute-Loire and Loire. The two biggest urban areas are Thiers (19,000 inhabitant ...

(4 February 1986
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Parc naturel régional des Caps et Marais d'Opale (12 February 1986
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Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura (Jura Mountains Regional Natural Park) is a French regional natural park located in the southwest of the Jura Mountain Range in France, on the French-Swiss border. Park description The park was created Feb ...

(21 April 1986
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Parc naturel régional des Ballons des Vosges (5 June 1989
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Parc naturel régional de la Brenne The parc naturel régional de la Brenne (; ) is an large regional nature park located in the French department of Indre, France. It was founded December 22, 1982. Of old, ''La Brenne'' was a region in the old French provinces of Berry and Tour ...

(22 December 1989
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Parc naturel régional des Marais du Cotentin et du Bessin (14 May 1991
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Parc Naturel Régional de la Chartreuse (6 May 1995
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Parc naturel régional des Grands Causses (6 May 1995) *

Parc naturel régional du Vexin français (9 May 1995
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Parc naturel régional du Massif des Bauges (7 December 1995
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* Parc naturel régional Loire - Anjou - Touraine

Parc naturel régional Loire-Anjou-Touraine (30 May 1996
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Parc naturel régional du Verdon (3 March 1997
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Parc naturel régional du Perche (16 January 1998
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Parc naturel régional de l'Avesnois (13 March 1998
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Parc naturel régional Périgord Limousin The Parc naturel régional Périgord Limousin (or Périgord Limousin Regional Natural Park) was created March 9, 1998. It consists of 78 communes situated in the Dordogne and Haute Vienne départements. The park has a surface area of 1,800 square ...

(16 March 1998) *