Located in southeast France, the Dauphiné Alps are home to breathtaking landscapes, rich biodiversity, and unique cultural heritage. Rewilding efforts are building on the spectacular resurgence of wild nature that has taken place here in recent decades.
The Dauphiné Alps are characterised by diverse landscapes, with vast swathes of forest and semi-wooded scrubland, as well as mountain meadows, numerous cliffs, and some of the most important braided river sections in France. Their rich natural heritage is entwined with a cultural history shaped by generations of farmers and rural communities. The rewilding landscape encompasses several renowned protected areas, such as the Vercors and Baronnies provençales regional natural parks, and is home to iconic wildlife species such as wolves, vultures, and Alpine ibex.
Many people have left the Dauphiné Alps since the nineteenth century, looking for better opportunities elsewhere. While some valley farming continues, hillsides have been largely given back to nature. Mixed-forest mosaics now cover most of the landscape, but are under increasing pressure from climate change-driven heatwaves and droughts. The area also boasts some well-preserved river stretches – including now rare braided systems on the Drôme, Eygues, and Buech rivers – but these too are being impacted by climate change.
The Dauphiné Alps host thriving populations of red and roe deer, wild boar, chamois, Alpine ibex, wolves, otters, beavers, and marmots, while all four European vulture species are present. Rewilding efforts will work to scale up the natural resurgence that has taken place over recent decades, with a revitalised circle of life comprising healthy populations of herbivores, predators, and scavengers. Rewilding France will also work to create conditions where people and wildlife can thrive together, through dialogue, shared decision-making, and respect for long-standing and highly valued cultural traditions.
