Cevennes landscapes

I present to you a series of photographs taken during my various hikes in this region that I particularly like. The Cévennes landscapes and the surroundings of Mont Lozere therefore constitute the bulk of this portfolio.

These large open landscapes, of grassy lawn with a steppe appearance, of broom moor, which are found on the causses and on the mountainous level of Lozère, Aigoual or Bouges, therefore bring together the essential extensive grazing areas of the Cevennes National Park. A mosaic of natural habitats and herbaceous areas have created these great landscapes. Everywhere, streams and waterfalls tumble down the slopes between pastures and peat bogs. The Tarn has its source there and flows towards the Atlantic while the waters of other rivers go towards the Mediterranean.

Agro-pastoral history and culture have left the territory with large open landscapes. These are represented in the highlands of the heart of the Cevennes National Park by the Caussenard steppes and the summits of the granite massifs. Likewise, chaos of granite balls characterize the landscape. The preferred construction material in this region is therefore granite. It is true that Mont Lozère constitutes a granite island in the middle of the ocean of limestone of the Causses, and the schist that is also found in the Cévennes.
Since June 2011 l’UNESCO registered the Causses and the Cévennes at the world heritage. This inscription concerns the cultural landscapes of Mediterranean agro-pastoralism. This recognition thus recognizes the value of an exceptional site. The hand of man has shaped these landscapes for millennia.