Covering some 5 000 acres of the 7 400 acres that make
up the Commune of Nohèdes, the Reserve stretches for 10 km up into the mountains and rises from 2300 feet to nearly
7 500 feet at Roc Negre.
The great mixture of mountain and maritime climate, the local geography & geology, the influences of centuries of rural life all combine to provide the enormous diversity of landscape and species that are to be found in the Reserve.

At Nohèdes we have no fewer than 1 200 types of plants
(fully 25% of all species that exist in France) and more than
600 varieties of butterfly and moth amongst many other delights.
Amongst the most spectacular wildlife it's not unusual to see Chamois, several types of deer and also the Mouflon, a wild horned sheep. Wild boar are plentiful but timid. Griffon Vultures
(Gyps fulvus) are regular visitors while Golden Eagles and Peregrine Falcons nest in the remoter corners of the valley.
With good luck one might even see two very rare raptors ;
the Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus Barbutus) and
the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus or Percnoptère).
Entry to the Reserve is free to all subject to the rules
and regulations that safeguard the natural habitat. In particular access by vehicles is severely restricted to those who maintain
or work in the Reserve.
www.catalanes.reserves-naturelles.org