Flora at and around Lacanal

Fauna at and around  Lacanal

Flora and fauna in the Haut-Languedoc. The regional natural park the Haut-Languedoc was founded in 1973. Its main purpose is to protect and preserve the natural resources.

The park takes up 260.000 hectares and is situated in two departments, the Tarn and the Hérault, in the low mountain range being the foothills of the Central Massif. It contains the massif of the Caroux-Espinouse, the Sidobre, part of the Montagne Noire and the Monts de Lacaune. In the park you'll find vineyards bordered with mimosa trees, but also steep mountain passes, wooded plateaus, and vast heaths.

Many animal species live in this varying landscape, including almost 250 species of birds. Here you will find moufflons, weasels, short-toed eagles, nightjars, age-old deciduous trees, wild orchids and many moss species.

The crescent-shaped ridge in the park separates streams in a natural way. North of this ridge, water flows in the direction of the Atlantic Ocean, south of the ridge towards the Mediterranean. In the climate you can also recognize both Atlantic and Mediterranean influences. From a geological point of view, the park is interesting for its recognizable hercynian foldings and influences from the Eocene and the Pliocene. Through all these circumstances, together with the changes in the landscape caused by agricultural usage, the park has a tremendous variety in landscape, flora and fauna. While in the east of the park, in the Caroux Massif, sharp mountain peaks arise, your will find large, eroded boulders in the western Sidobre. In the north, the lakes of Vésole, La Raviège, Laouzas and Saint-Peyres reflect the images of the mountains around Lacaune, Anglès and the Somail: And in the south, the water that comes from the Montagne Noire feeds the famous Canal du Midi.