Wildland
The name Artense might suggest the memory of the bear, once very present in our remote mountainous regions of the Auvergne. Even today, our forests bear witness to the wild, primordial aspect that once characterized them. At the bend of a path, overhanging a cliff, or on the banks of a river, a representative of the animal world can sometimes be seen in a furtive appearance.
A landof forests
Forests are ubiquitous in Sumène Artense, on steep river slopes, in folds of land or on the shores of lakes.
Located at the confluence of the Petite and Grande Rhue rivers, the Algères forest has existed for over 10,000 years, having been established just after the last ice age. It stretches over 1,000 hectares of fir, beech, oak, lime and ash trees… Between deciduous and coniferous trees, this land is home to a host of insect, plant and moss species relics of the last ice age.
Reddeer
When autumn comes, the forests of Little Scandinavia resound with the hoarse, powerful cry of the stag’s bellow. When the mating season is in full swing, the hinds gather at the “bellowing places”. The many suitors gathered around the females compete in impressive vocal jousting matches, sometimes culminating in antler-on-antler combat.
chamois
Having disappeared from the region, the chamois was reintroduced to Auvergne in 1978. From the Cantalien peaks, certain populations gradually descended towards the Rhue gorges, where the animal thrives. They are particularly fond of cliffs, old lava flows and the cool, shady forest.
Certain trails are ideal for observing the animal, such as Le plateau de Fournols (PR9) at Champs-sur-Tarentaine or Entre Rhue et Couzans (PR13) from Cheyssac.
Europeanotter
Found throughout the Massif Central, the European otter is an emblematic representative of the “water people,” roaming the rivers and lakes of Little Scandinavia in search of its favorite food: crayfish and fish.
It shares its territory with birds that are no less emblematic: the dipper and the kingfisher.
Birdsof prey
A medium-altitude mountain region, Little Scandinavia is full of cliffs in the heart of wild forests. From the Urlande rock to the Chastel-Marlhac table, via the Monteil organ pipes and the Milhac rock, these cliffs provide natural perches for diurnal and nocturnal birds of prey, such as peregrine falcons and eagle owls. Other birds of prey prefer the treetops (red kite, short-toed eagle, booted eagle, northern goshawk) or tree hollows (tawny owl).
Otherremarkable species
Classified as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, the Upper Dordogne Gorges are home to rare and protected species of flora and fauna, including the short-toed snake eagle, night heron, common otter, pauciflora sedge, scolopendrium fern, and spiderwort.
The peat bogs of the Artense plateau are relics of the Ice Age. As such, they are populated by plant species characteristic of acidic environments, such as sphagnum moss, comarets, water clover, and sundews, tiny carnivorous plants. They are home to a multitude of species of butterflies, dragonflies, and amphibians.
The Tact trail (PR1), around the lake of the same name, offers an educational path for discovering wildlife, with a bird observatory in the middle of the trail.
Other more common animal species can be spotted along the trail, most often at dawn or dusk: foxes, deer, badgers, and hedgehogs.