La Trinité National Nature Reserve

La Trinité National Nature Reserve is a protected forest area in French Guiana featuring mountain forests, lowland forests, and rock savannas spread across the communes of Mana and Saint-Élie. This mix of landscape types creates habitats for diverse plant and animal communities throughout the reserve.

The French government created this protected area in 1996 to shield an isolated forest section from the region's intensive mining operations. The forest had remained undisturbed by human activity and continues to be managed under strict preservation protocols.

The reserve is home to jaguars, otters, and harpy eagles that inhabit its diverse forest and rock savanna zones. Visitors gain insight into how these ecosystems support such varied wildlife and understand the area's importance for species protection.

Access is mainly through guided expeditions coordinated with the National Forests Office to enable scientific observation and ecological research. Visitors should be prepared for challenging terrain and tropical climate, including dense vegetation and warm, humid conditions year-round.

During a 2011 scientific expedition, researchers discovered a previously unknown moth species of the genus Eulepidotis on the rock outcrop Roche Bénitier. This find demonstrated how little the area had been studied and highlighted its continued value for scientific discovery.