Photo : Raymond SÉNÈQUE / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Bois de Paiolive
The Bois de Païolive covers about 1,700 hectares in the south of the Ardèche, in the communes of Les Vans, Banne and Berrias-et-Casteljau, at the foot of the Cévennes. It occupies the limestone plateau of the Gras, whose karst relief dates from the Jurassic. The landscape is astonishing: chaos of ruin-shaped rocks, dolines, lapiaz and gorges carved by the Chassezac.
This site has been protected since 1934 and today benefits from several statuses: ZNIEFF type I, Natura 2000 site and sensitive natural area. It combines forest of holm and downy oaks, dry grasslands and cliffs, which favours great species diversity. There are protected plants such as Centranthus lecoqii and the multicoloured crocus. The fauna includes beavers, several species of bats, the eagle owl, the European roller and the hoopoe, as well as cave fauna in the many caves. Marked paths let you walk through it. The hamlet of Berrias gave its name to a geological stage, the Berriasian.
