{"id":3433,"date":"2026-01-02T11:36:38","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T10:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lagazelleperchee.com\/?p=3433"},"modified":"2026-04-07T07:14:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T05:14:49","slug":"tourbieres-du-jolan-and-gazelle-nature-reserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lagazelleperchee.com\/en\/reserve-naturelle-des-tourbieres-du-jolan-et-de-la-gazelle\/","title":{"rendered":"Tourbi\u00e8res du Jolan and de la Gazelle nature reserve"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Jolan and Gazelle peat bogs: a rare and sensitive nature reserve to discover<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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 <\/strong>Thanks to a themed trail, you'll have the chance to discover a major nature reserve in its unspoilt setting. The Jolan and Gazelle peat bogs are both a natural and historical heritage site.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What is a peat bog?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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First and foremost, a peat bog is a wetland created under specific conditions, i.e. low mineral content, stagnant and abundant water in a cold climate. This wetland (like other wetlands in the Cantal, such as the \u00absaignes\u00bb and \u00abnarses\u00bb) is home to a specific and rare flora and fauna.<\/span><\/p>\n

The name \u00abpeat bog\u00bb comes from the local inhabitants. For them, these areas were peat quarries (peat is an organic soil produced by the degradation of plants in a water-saturated environment), which was used as a fuel. The peat was extracted with forks from holes dug in the spring. It was then cut into brick shapes, exposed to the sun and dried during the summer. In the autumn, the inhabitants would collect the bricks and store them for the winter. The bricks were used for heating and cooking. This type of exploitation is no longer practised and is no longer authorised.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Why preserve this characteristic Auvergne environment?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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These are necessary wetlands with exceptional and sensitive flora and fauna. They are currently being weakened and impacted by human activity and climate change. They play an important role in the ecosystem because they \u00abtrap\u00bb and store carbon, purify water and provide a habitat for unique biodiversity such as amphibians, insects (butterflies, dragonflies, etc.), reptiles, mammals (such as ermines and otters), birds (kites, etc.), \"northern\" plants and carnivorous plants, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Jolan and Gazelle nature reserves<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Cette r\u00e9serve naturelle r\u00e9gionale d’Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-Alpes se situe dans le d\u00e9partement du Cantal sur la commune de S\u00e9gur-les-Villas, village en bordure du plateau du C\u00e9zallier, et elle \u00e9volue \u00e0 1 130 m\u00e8tres d\u2019altitude. Cr\u00e9\u00e9e en 2018, elle est la premi\u00e8re r\u00e9serve naturelle du Cantal avec une surface de 115 183 ha.<\/span><\/p>\n

The studies carried out in 2019 have made it possible to refine the dating of the formation of these peat bogs, placing it after the last ice age (this period began 115,000 years ago and ended 11,700 years ago). These analyses have also revealed that the centre of the reserve was originally occupied by a lake.<\/span><\/p>\n

Peat was mined and extracted from the Jolan and Gazelle peat bogs until the 1970s. Then, in 1973, the area was flooded to create an artificial water body as part of a project for the department's hunting industry, to be a stopover site for waterfowl.<\/span><\/p>\n

To date, there are 900 species on the site.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Les tourbi\u00e8res sont entour\u00e9es de terres agricoles (pairies d’estive et de fourrages), de bois de pins, sans oublier de ses habitants. Ce sont eux qui ont fa\u00e7onn\u00e9 ce paysage avec des murets, la culture des c\u00e9r\u00e9ales (\u2026) et qui d\u00e9sormais participent \u00e0 la conservation de ce site naturel et de son environnement.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE RESERVE<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
D\u00c9COUVRIR L’\u00c9COBALADE<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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How can you discover the Jolan and Gazelle peat bogs?<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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