Division (a) The natural environment

‘Banon’ originates in Haute-Provence around the municipality of Banon. It is a dry middle mountain region with landscapes made up of hills and plateaux. The climate is Mediterranean.

The area is characterised by a lack of water, as the groundwater runs deep inside the earth and the surface water receives exceptional and highly irregular precipitation mainly in the autumn and spring, with a great shortage of rain in the summer.

The geographical area of ‘Banon’ is also characterised by not very fertile soils that are mainly chalky, permeable and excellent at absorbing rainwater.

In that environment, low-density forest vegetation consisting of Aleppo pine, oak, broom, boxwood and scented plants alternates with heaths featuring scattered coppices and bushes and crops adapted to the harsh Provençal climate prevailing at medium altitudes: dry, sunny and often rather cold in the winter. It is an environment that provides areas well suited to rough grazing by goat herds.

The natural conditions of this region explain why pastoralism and low-yielding crops are an important part of its overall economy.