Gran Paradiso National Park
Italy's first national park, protecting Alpine ibex since 1922.
Gran Paradiso National Park is an Italian national park located in the Graian Alps, spanning the Aosta Valley and Piedmont regions. It is named after the Gran Paradiso mountain within its boundaries and is contiguous with France's Vanoise National Park. The area was initially protected to safeguard the Alpine ibex from poachers, having served as a personal hunting ground for King Victor Emmanuel II.
Quick Facts
- Area
- 703 km² / 271 sq mi
- Established
- 1922
- Governing body
- Ministero dell'Ambiente
Facts from the source article.
History
In the early 19th century, hunting had reduced the Alpine ibex population to about 60 individuals in the Gran Paradiso and Vanoise area. Ibex were hunted for sport and because their body parts were believed to have therapeutic properties; a small cross-shaped bone near the heart was used in talismans against violent death. In 1856, Victor Emmanuel, soon to be King of Italy, declared the Royal Hunting Reserve of the Gran Paradiso and created a protective guard for the ibex. Paths laid out for the ibex remain in use as part of 724 km of marked trails and mule tracks. In 1920, King Victor Emmanuel III, grandson of Victor Emmanuel II, donated the original 21 square kilometres, and the park was established in 1922 as Italy's first national park. At that time, about 3,000 ibex lived in the park. The population rose to 4,000 by 1933, but then declined due to poor surveillance under Fascist rule, poaching, and World War II, reaching only 419 by 1945. Protection was re-established after the war, and by 2005 the ibex population had recovered to 4,000.
Geography
The park lies in the Graian Alps within Piedmont (Metropolitan City of Turin) and Aosta Valley in northwest Italy, covering 703 km² of alpine terrain. Ten percent of the park is wooded, 16.5% is used for agriculture and pasture, 24% is uncultivated, and 40% is classified as sterile. Fifty-seven glaciers occupy 9.5% of the surface area. Altitudes range from 800 to 4,061 m, with an average of 2,000 m. Valley floors are forested, alpine meadows occur at higher elevations, and rocks and glaciers dominate above the meadows. Gran Paradiso is the only mountain entirely within Italy exceeding 4,000 m. Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn are visible from its summit. John Cowell made the first ascent in 1860. To the west, the park borders France's Vanoise National Park, and the two cooperate in managing the ibex population that moves across the boundary seasonally.
Flora
The park's woods provide shelter for many animals and defend against landslides, avalanches, and flooding. Two main forest types are coniferous and deciduous. European beech forests are common on the Piedmont side but absent on the drier Aosta Valley side; their dense foliage admits little summer light, and slow-decomposing leaves form a thick layer that hinders other plants. Larches are the most common trees on valley floors, mixed with spruces, Swiss stone pines, and occasionally silver firs. Maple and lime forests occur in gulleys but are isolated and at risk of extinction. Downy oak woods are more frequent in Aosta Valley due to higher temperatures and lower precipitation; oak is not typical and often mixes with Scots pine. Chestnut groves have been shaped by human cultivation of wood and fruit; chestnut rarely grows above 1,000 m, with the most important stands on the Piedmontese side. Conifer woods include Scots pine groves and spruce forests dominated by Norway spruce, often mixed with larch. At higher altitudes, trees thin into alpine pastures rich in wildflowers in late spring, including wild pansies, gentians, martagon lilies, and alpenroses. Rocky habitats above the timberline and pastures feature rock and detritus; alpine plants there exhibit dwarfism, hairiness, bright flowers, and developed roots. About 1,500 plant species are visible at the Paradisia Alpine Botanical Garden near Cogne within the park.
Fauna
During summer, alpine ibex graze in the park's lush mountain pastures, then move to lower ground when winter arrives. Because Gran Paradiso is linked with Vanoise National Park, the ibex are protected all year long. Other mammals here include ermine, weasel, hare, Eurasian badger, alpine chamois, a wolf that recently came from Central Italy, and the lynx, which returned after a hundred years. Ibex and chamois stay above the tree line for most of the year, only heading down to valleys during winter and spring. Alpine marmots search for food along the snow line. More than a hundred bird species live in the park, such as the Eurasian eagle-owl, rock ptarmigan, alpine accentor, and chough. Golden eagles nest on rocky ledges or sometimes in trees, while wallcreepers stick to steep cliffs. Black woodpeckers and nutcrackers inhabit the woodlands. The park also hosts many butterflies, including apollos, peak whites, and southern white admirals.
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