Corsica Regional Natural Park, Regional natural park in Corsica, France
Corsica Regional Natural Park (Parcù di Corsica) is a protected area covering 440,200 hectares, about 51% of the island, mainly in the central mountains. Since its charter was renewed by decree of 21 November 2018 it spans 178 communes, up from 145 in the 1999 charter, grouped into eleven territories of life such as Niolu, Castagniccia and Alta Rocca. It administers the Fango valley biosphere reserve and the Scandola nature reserve.
The park was listed in 1972 and relisted for ten years in June 1999. Its charter, revised by decree on 21 November 2018, expanded it from 145 to 178 communes. In 1983 the Gulf of Porto section, including the Scandola Nature Reserve, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Corsican culture persists in the park through livestock raising, built heritage and the Corsican language. The park records oral testimony of popular culture and helps safeguard rural buildings such as mills, farms, sheepfolds and Romanesque chapels holding frescoes. The park's own name is Corsican: parcu di Corsica.
The park is the island's leading hiking operator, with over 1,500 km of marked trails, including the GR 20 and the Mare a mare and Mare e monti routes. It also manages several mountain refuges and labels mountain guides with the "Marque Parc". Camping is banned around the mountain lakes, where the park regulates visitor numbers and organises waste collection.
The park manages two reserves of major heritage value: the Fango Valley biosphere reserve, created in 1977 under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere programme and covering over 23,000 hectares from the river's mountain source to its delta in the Gulf of Galeria, and the Scandola nature reserve on the west coast, both terrestrial and marine and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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