Beyond the close atmosphere of the wooded valleys, the purity and grandeur of the massif’s highlands go hand in hand to reveal nature at its best. This magnificent scenery, rocky ridges, grasslands, moors and alpine forests combined with the growing appeal of this site have led to the implementation of a protection and management policy.

The site’s classification was reviewed by a ministerial decree in 1985, in application of the 1930 environment law. Classified as the “Massif Cantalien”, the site is organised around Puy Mary covering the highlands and a surface area of 10,000 hectares including the:

• ridges linking Puy Mary to Suc Gros and Puys Violent, Chavaroche, of Usclade and Seycheuse
• cirques which extend them, including the origins of the Impradine in their entirety
• alpine meadows and forests that cover them down to their lowest limits.

The Puy Mary site (3,000 hectares) is also part of a Natura 2000 programme aimed at implementing appropriate management procedures to allow the preservation of the site's biodiversity and exceptional natural environments (priority habitats and community interest).

Finally, “mountain law” enables conditions of use and protection of mountain areas to be laid down. It involves two main principles: preserving land needed for agriculture and the development of villages, hamlets, etc. in a coherent way in relation to existing settlements.