Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island
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How it came to be
Réunion in the south-western Indian Ocean is formed by two adjoining volcanic massifs: the Piton des Neiges, over 3,000 metres high, and the still active Piton de la Fournaise. Three cirques rimmed by cliffs cut into the island, and subtropical rainforest, cloud forest and heath hold many endemic plants.
Réunion, Mauritius and Rodrigues, the Mascarene Islands, were uninhabited before the 1600s. Human arrival brought mass extinctions and introduced species.
A park in the mountainous interior was first proposed in 1985. In 2004 a public survey was held in the island's 24 communes, and Réunion National Park was created on 5 March 2007. On 1 August 2010 its core was inscribed on the World Heritage List, more than 100,000 hectares or about 40 per cent of the island.
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