In Paesana, the small Nature Reserve of the same name hosts the middle mountain stretch of the Po where fish such as the trout and the bullhead live. Going down towards the plain, you will find the nature reserves where the Bronda, Pellice and Varaita valleys meet, and the natural reserves of Paracollo and Fontane which represent typical riparian environments, with flora and fauna linked to the river, including a number of water birds.

In 2019, the Bosco del Merlino nature reserve was added, one of the last lowland forests of the Cuneo plain, important for the rich flora and the ecological niches found there, hosting amphibians, such as the Lataste’s frog.

Finally, the Authority manages the Sito di Interesse Comunicato (SIC) Boschi e colonie di chirotteri in Staffarda, an important breeding site for bats such as the greater mouse-eared kind and the Special Conservation Area (SAC) of the Parco di Racconigi and the woods along the Maira. The latter houses the Centro Cicogne e Anatidi, aimed at safeguarding biodiversity by creating wetlands that provide a fundamental resting area for migratory birds.

The area offers many gems in terms of its environments and tourist offering, accompanied by an undoubtedly impressive variety of plants and animals: over 20 alpine lakes, about 7 hectares of peat bog, more than 500 species of superior plants, over 30 species of mammals, about 20 species of birds and finally 10 species of amphibians. In this context, various endemic species stand out, including the black Salamander of Lanza, the animal that symbolises the Park, the crustacean Branchipus blanchardi, the Adriatic bell flower, the Rostan Gentian and the Veronica allionii. Aspects of absolute interest from a geological and mineralogical point of view are the “green stones” of Monviso and the pyrope deposit of Martiniana Po – Brossasco.