You certainly suspect: it has nothing to do with the park where you went on the swing as a child! The Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park is a much larger and unique territory, protected by numerous collective actions. To become (almost) knowledgeable on the subject, we have prepared the 5 key points to remember. Good discovery !
“Regional natural park”: the definition to know
Since the creation of the label in 1967, a regional natural park has been an inhabited rural area, recognized nationally for its interest remarkable heritage, but with a fragile balance. It is an exceptional classified landscape, composed of elements of natural, landscape, human, built, cultural and historical heritage, which must therefore be preserved and enhanced.
Each Park thus has 5 main missions :
- Protect natural, cultural and landscape heritage;
- Participate in the planning and development of the territory;
- Contribute to economic, social, cultural development and quality of life;
- Ensure reception, education and information for the public;
- Carry out experimental or exemplary actions, and take part in research programs.
The Parc de la Montagne de Reims: quite a story!
The Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park is far from being born from the last rain! Its creation is the result of a long mobilization of the local population, its elected officials and environmental associations, initiated with passion in the 1950s. Here is some key dates to remember, among all those which constitute the rich history of the Park…
- 1969 : the project of forming a “green zone to be protected” is beginning to germinate in the minds of the mayors of Germaine, Saint-Imoges and Ville-en-Selve in the face of urbanization, intensive agriculture and pollution which threaten their municipalities .
- 1970 : with a view to creating a regional natural park, the Association for the Protection of Nature and the Promotion of Leisure and Tourism in the Mountains of Reims (AMR) was created.
- September 28, 1976 : victory ! The Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park is officially recognized by a decree from the Champagne-Ardenne regional council: this underlines the importance of protecting this exceptional region.
- 2022 : the revision of our Charter has been launched, to renew our “Regional Natural Park” label. By taking over from our previous charter, revised between 2006 and 2008, this document will guide our actions to protect and develop the territory, from 2024 to… 2040!
The pretty identity card of our Park
Forests on the plateau, vineyards on the hillsides and cultivation in the plains: thanks to this superb trilogy of landscapes, the territory of the Park is unique!
70 million years old, the Montagne de Reims has the air of geological mille-feuille with its chalk, sands, clays and limestones. The richness of its subsoil has several advantages:
- She feeds theextraordinary natural heritage of the Park, made up of diverse environments, with varied fauna and flora. Enough to make this natural area one of the most important in Champagne!
- It represents a wonderful cradle for viticulture ;
- It provides built and cultural heritage with a remarkable variegated identity, between Romanesque stone churches, houses with brick and millstone facades, or even houses and Champagne cellars.
Are you more of a numbers person? Here are some about our Park, just for you!
- 533 km2
- 54 hectares
- 40% forests, 30% vineyards classified AOC Champagne, 30% crops
- 3 gateway towns nearby: Reims, Châlons-en-Champagne, Épernay
- 65 Commons
- 34 inhabitants
How the Park works in a few words
The actions of the Parc de la Montagne de Reims are decided and implemented by a mixed union. Why do we say it is mixed? Quite simply because he brings together different types of actors : the municipalities and intercommunalities of the Park territory, as well as the Marne Department and the Grand Est Region. Unity is strength !
The structure of our joint union is as follows:
- The union committee : its 90 elected delegates define the objectives:, stop it action program annual and vote on budget. For optimal decision-making, the Committee surrounds itself with:
- of 16 non-elected associate members (state services, consular chambers, public establishments, etc.).
- of a Scientific Committee made up of 12 experts, from various backgrounds (environmental consultants, professors at the University of Reims, engineers, economists, etc.).
- The union office (elected by the Committee): its 21 elected delegates are responsible for the current management of the park.
The Park is everyone’s business…
…who is just waiting for you!
Yes, everyone can contribute at their own level to the operational implementation of the Park’s commitments.
In addition, a technical team of around twenty agents, directed by Olaf Holm and organized by mission, is at your disposal to stimulate projects, animate the territory, create links, mobilize partners, advise and support municipalities, residents, associations, etc.
To visit us, head to Park House, chemin de Nanteuil in Pourcy: since 1982, you are always welcome there! Technical headquarters of the Park team, this space welcomes you to give you ideas for bucolic explorations. On site, other surprises await you: a conservatory orchard, an educational pond, a thematic trail, picnic areas, the start of hiking loops and even a station for inflating, repairing, or recharging your bike!
What if we continued together?
