Morvan Regional Natural Park
Humans and their activity Morvan Regional Natural Park
Only the elders now remember the old maps of France in relief showing the Massif Central all in brown and gold, with the Auvergne as its belly and the Morvan as its head.
The Morvan, a granite island, has been settled for over 5,000 years. It was home to the Eduens, a Gallic tribe whose capital, Bibracte, was located on Mont Beuvray.
Due to the infertile land and inhospitable relief, the activities of the men focussed on farming, highly divided, with low yield and exploitation of wood resources, which were exported by floating to Paris for heating wood since the 17th century.
In the 19th century, two new trades appeared: galvachers, the "transporters" of the period, and childminders in Paris and "on-site".
In our times, livestock farming remains the main activity with the famous Charolais. Since the 1920s, with the start of the Christmas tree tradition, Morvan has become one of the main Christmas tree producers in Europe.
Forest exploitation therefore creates jobs (forest covers more than 50% of the land of the Morvan). Indeed, the forest was an integral part of the identity of the Morvan for centuries. An economic resource, it was also a place for discovery, offering mysterious walks around Mont Beuvray and its "queules" of the ancient city of Bibracte in the Breuil forest and its mountain bike track.
Thanks to it and to this exceptional environment, tourism has developed over several decades, creating a true economy.
