Buffer zone of the National Park

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.