Thenational parks ofFrance are a system of eleven national parks throughoutmetropolitan France and itsoverseas departments, coordinated by National Parks of France (French:Parcs nationaux de France) within theFrench Office for Biodiversity (Office français pour la biodiversité), anétablissement public à caractère administratif guided by theMinistry of Ecological Transition andMinistry of Agriculture and Food.
The first national park was established in 1963; the most recent park was established in 2019. National parks are created by decree with the signature of thePrime Minister of France and publication in theJournal Officiel de la République Française.
French national parks protect a total area of 26,168 square kilometres (10,104 sq mi) in core area and 30,651 square kilometres (11,834 sq mi) in buffer zones. This puts over 9.5% of French territory under the protection of national parks; 29.5% of French lands and 22% of French waters are covered by some level of protection. French national parks draw over 8.5 million visitors annually.[1]
| Name | Photograph | Department(s) | Core area | Buffer zone | Established |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calanques National Park (Parc national des Calanques) |  | Bouches-du-Rhône | 520 km2 (201 sq mi) | 1,060 km2 (409 sq mi) | 18 April 2012 |
| Cévennes National Park (Parc national des Cévennes) |  | Lozère,Gard,Ardèche andAveyron | 937 km2 (362 sq mi) | 2,793 km2 (1,078 sq mi) | 2 September 1970 |
| Écrins National Park (Parc national des Écrins) |  | Isère andHautes-Alpes | 925 km2 (357 sq mi) | 1,788 km2 (690 sq mi) | 27 March 1973 |
| Forêts National Park (Parc national des forêts) |  | Haute-Marne andCôte-d'Or | 560 km2 (216 sq mi) | 1,850 km2 (714 sq mi) | 8 November 2019 |
| Guadeloupe National Park (Parc national de la Guadeloupe) |  | Guadeloupe (overseas department) | 221 km2 (85 sq mi) | 2,244 km2 (866 sq mi) | 20 February 1989 |
| Guiana Amazonian Park (Parc amazonien de Guyane) | ._Parc_Amazonien_de_la_Guyane._Fleuve_Maroni._1_(18).jpg) | French Guiana (overseas department) | 20,236 km2 (7,813 sq mi) | 13,615 km2 (5,257 sq mi) | 27 February 2007 |
| Mercantour National Park (Parc national du Mercantour) |  | Alpes-Maritimes andAlpes-de-Haute-Provence | 679 km2 (262 sq mi) | 1,467 km2 (566 sq mi) | 18 August 1979 |
| Port-Cros National Park (Parc national de Port-Cros) |  | Var | 46 km2 (18 sq mi) | 1,451 km2 (560 sq mi) | 14 December 1963 |
| Pyrénées National Park (Parc national des Pyrénées) |  | Hautes-Pyrénées andPyrénées-Atlantiques | 458 km2 (177 sq mi) | 2,077 km2 (802 sq mi) | 23 March 1967 |
| Réunion National Park (Parc national de la Réunion) |  | Réunion (overseas department) | 1,054 km2 (407 sq mi) | 877 km2 (339 sq mi) | 5 March 2007 |
| Vanoise National Park (Parc national de la Vanoise) | _au_pied_de_la_Grande_Casse_(7).jpg) | Savoie | 534 km2 (206 sq mi) | 1,427 km2 (551 sq mi) | 6 July 1963 |
| Metropolitan France |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Overseas France | ||