Aims

The Aims of the Park

• Safeguarding a complex of naturalistic, historical, landscape, and environmental values and preserving the biogenetic values of flora and fauna, as well as the current geomorphological aspects.
• Ensuring better life conditions for the people living in the mountain areas involved.
  Promoting scientific research and environmental education (spreading naturalistic culture).
• Promoting the recovery of agricultural, silvicultural, and breeding activities compatible with the aims of safeguard, in the areas with a more marked agricultural vocation.
• Creating development opportunities through a serious policy aimed at safeguarding the naturalistic values, which are the real resource of the territory: this is our main goal.

General Features of the Park

Why a Park in the Dolomite Mountains?
Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park was born to safeguard a territory of extraordinary landscape and naturalistic value. Vette di Feltre and Monte Serva were already very famous for their flora in the 18th century. The presence of rare species and of an extraordinary variety of environments is given above all to the geographical location. As a matter of fact, the Park is situated at the edge of the south-eastern Alps, in very inaccessible areas, part of which were not covered by ice during the very cold periods (glaciations) which came after each other in the Quaternary period, until 10,000-12,000 years ago.
Different environments and cultures gravitate around the Park area. The country hamlets situated on the slopes facing Valle del Piave (Feltrino and Bellunese areas) are without a doubt very different from the towns of Agordo or Val di Zoldo, situated on slopes characterized by completely different climatic and geological features.
The most interesting places from a naturalistic point of view can be found in the highest areas, in the plateaus, in the basins of glacial origin; however, there are stations of great importance also in the valleys and in the busiest accesses. The great variety of environments and landscapes is the most evident feature of the Park: it can be particularly appreciated in summer, with its unbridled blossoms.

Alpi Feltrine
The westernmost section, more properly known as Vette, is characterized by grassy summits (the most famous one is the pyramid of Mt. Pavione, 2,335 m) and vast sediment layers, glacial cirques, and karst depressions.
This section leads off from the hilly area (Croce d’Aune, Col dei Mich, Val di San Martin) along steep trails going round rugged but very interesting slopes, with environments recalling the harsh pre-alpine landscapes. Cimonega subgroup is a typically Dolomitic group, with Sass de Mura as its highest peak (2,550 m). You can reach it from the deep Valle di Canzoi, from where you can also reach the plateaus of Erera-Brendol and Piani Eterni, in the easternmost section of Alpi Feltrine. Pizzocco and Agnelezze subgroups admirably combine Dolomitic and pre-alpine features.

Monti del Sole
Monti del Sole (on both slopes, Mis and Cordevole) represent the wild heart of the Park. Superb and almost inaccessible, they are a nature sanctuary where the forces of the natural agents seem to repel the attempts by man. Already from very low altitudes, deep gorges, detrital canals, small waterfalls, rugged ridges and rocky spurs, and crags covered with woods outline a landscape of rare charm recalling the easternmost areas of the Alpine chain.

The Eastern Section
Imposing dolomitic walls (for instance, Burel della Schiara) and grassy summits (Monte Serva) alternate on the Bellunese slope. Of exceptional value isalso the beautiful forest in the basin of Cajada and the grassy-rocky terraces of Talvéna group. The cool slopes on the right of the stream Maé (Val Pramper and Val del Grisol) are characteristic of the innermost Dolomites, clearly differentiating from the harsh and steep slopes you can see in Valle del Piave, between Ponte nelle Alpi and Longarone.

Within the Park perimeter there are two artificial lakes, Lago del Mis and Lago de La Stua in Val Canzoi.