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September 18th, 2015

The completion of the Life+ Cap DOM programme!

After five years of work, the Life+ Cap DOM programme, supported by the European Commission and…
August 31st, 2015

[Video] The STOC in French Guiana

Since 2012, GEPOG has been running a STOC (point count) survey in French Guiana, along with the…
August 25th, 2015

[Video] SEOR: a look back over the five years of the programme

A few weeks before the end of the Life+ Cap DOM programme, François-Xavier Couzi, Director of…

Buffer zone of the National Park

An area favored by the papangue
Carte du Parc national de La Réunion
Carte du Parc national de La Réunion

Territory : Réunion
Area : 87,000 ha
Status : Varied (state, department, municipalities)
Owner/ Management authority : Private or public state property
Biotopes : Degraded primary forest, cultivated land, agricultural area
Uses : Urbanization, farming, habitat conservation

The buffer zone of Réunion National Park covers the inland area known as Hauts de la Réunion, forming a belt between urbanized sectors and forest areas.

Grand brûlé, Réunion National Park, M. Salamolard

The volcanic basalt plateaus, which are more or less inclined depending on their altitude and run from east to west across the island, constitute a large part of the landscape of the buffer zone. From a socio-economic standpoint, this sector is important for agriculture, livestock breeding and urbanization.

The remainder of the buffer zone is made up of high rural plains, which alternate between wide open pastures and farmland with hedgerows.

The Réunion Harrier, known as Papangue in Creole, is a species found exclusively on Réunion island (endemic). It is currently classified as globally threatened. Its population, estimated at 200 pairs, frequents both agricultural areas and the slopes or volcanic basalt plateaus where dry vegetation alternates with urban sprawl.

The buffer zone offers a coherent framework for territorial planning schemes and for implementation of measures to check human-related threats to the species.

Keywords : Réunion, Buffer zone of the National Park, Réunion Harrier

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