The park is managed by several structures on a cooperation basis. There is the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Puy-de-Dôme, Haute-Loire and Loire's departments, by 24 EPCI and also by 164 towns certified parc naturel régional. Since March 2008, Tony Bernard, Châteldon's mayor, presides the park. The certified zone of the park covers an area of 311,035 hectares. Its population is of 103 948 inhabitants.
History and creation of the park
Under the presidence of Maurice Adevah-Pœuf, Thier's mayor and deputy of Puy-de-Dôme, an association for the creation of the Livradois-Forez Regional Natural Park is established in April 1982 at the suggestion of seventeen elected reunited 29 November 1981 in Brugeron.
In 1984 is created the management mixed union of the Livradois-Forez Park.
The Livradois-Forez Regional Natural Park was created on 4 February 1986 by deliberation of the Auvergne regional council.
Its constitutive charter was re-examined two times, so the label was assigned again in 1998 ; an extension decree of the Regional Natural Park for the next twelve years was published in Journal Officiel on 27 July 2011. On the occasion of this latest review, five municipalities of Loire's department joined for the first time the park : Noirétable, La Chamba, La Chambonie, Jeansagnière et Lérigneux.
Its headquarters, originally in Thiers, is now located in the municipality named Saint-Gervais-sous-Meymont.
Geography
Located between the old Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes regions, the park extends 110 km from north to south, in three departments. It's composed of 176 municipalities gathering 103,172 inhabitants in 2014. The high point of the park corresponds to the high point of the Mountains of Forez and is located in Pierre-sur-Haute on the territory of Job's municipality, in Puy-de-Dôme's department. Some big geographic zones:
the valley of factories in Thiers's municipality ;
the valley of the Dore, which constitutes a sort of backbone of the park;
the mountains of the Forez with upland plateaus covered with highland moors called Hautes Chaumes;
Craponne's plateau;
the countries cut off from Livradois;
Livradois's mountains, including the high forest plateaus;
hills and hillsides of the county around Vic-le-Comte and Billom's region
The park is constituted of two major cities, Thiers and Ambert. There are other urban areas but less important. The majority of the biggest cities in the park tend to see its population decrease. Meanwhile, Thiers the biggest city of the park, increase.
Apart from its punctual participation as a supporter, editor of numerous books published by various editors of the region, the Park released a twice yearly 8 page magazine, Journal du Parc naturel régional Livradois-Forez, which contents are linked to the environment protection, social life, traditions and culture.
Films shot in the Livradois-Forez Regional Natural
