Wildlife
The Var is rich of a varied fauna that you will probably see during your walks in the countryside or in the mountains: hedgehogs, hares, chamois, wild boars, badgers are the most common species.
Reptiles are not to be outdone in the Var where we count several species of snakes, such as the Montpellier or Aesculapian snake, and different species of turtles including Hermann's turtle which is a threatened and protected species. Who says sun, also says lizards! You could observe in the nature the ocellated lizard or the green lizard for example.
The Var is also populated by a great number of bird species, which makes the happiness of ornithologists. You will be able to observe the famous pink flamingo, the red partridge, the eagle owl, the kestrel, the nightingale, or the European bee-eater.
If you equip yourself with fins, mask and snorkel, you will quickly be fascinated by the observation of the underwater world. A few meters from the coast, in the posidonia meadows, you will discover and observe a whole world teeming with life and you will be able to discover all its secrets. The natural park of Port-Cros Island offers you, for example, to follow an underwater path and to swim in the middle of the fishes! During your diving trips in the Var, you have every chance to meet groupers, morays, octopuses, sea breams, sea stars, sea urchins, cuttlefishes, jellyfish, multicolored girelles or even spider crabs.
As far as insects are concerned, apart from the detestable mosquitoes which are especially rife near water in the Var, you will love to listen to the song of the most famous insect of the south of France: the cicada!
Flora
The flora is just as varied as the fauna of the Var. The most widespread species are: olive tree, palm tree, eucalyptus, Aleppo pine, umbrella pine, black cypress, plane tree, fig tree, oak tree, cactus and prickly pear, lemon tree, orange tree, tamarisk, bougainvillea, rosemary, thyme, broom, jasmine..
Note: the Var is the leading horticultural department in France, with 40% of the national production of cut flowers, thanks to 1100 farms and 1050 hectares of crops including 460 hectares under greenhouses.
The Var production represents more than a hundred floral species, with a leading product: the rose.
Parks and nature reserves
Verdon Regional Nature Park
Straddling the departments of Var and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, it is one of the 53 regional nature parks in France. It is a vast rural territory with an exceptional wealth of heritage and magnificent sites to discover through seven landscape units, the Artuby, the Sainte-Croix lake, the Verdon gorges, the Verdon lakes and mountains, the Valensole plateau, the hills of the Haut Var and the lakes and gorges of the Bas Verdon.
National nature reserve of the Maures plain
In the heart of the department, the Maures plain covers an area of more than 13,000 ha. It is the only nature reserve in the Var. This territory contains an exceptional biodiversity in the Mediterranean region, as well as a landscape of great value.
Port-Cros National Maritime Park
Created on December 14, 1963, the Port-Cros National Park is the oldest marine park in Europe and in France. In 2020, the National Park of Port-Cros has 177 species of birds (including 26 breeding species), 180 species of fish, a rich flora of 602 species of land, and 500 species of algae.
