national park located in the French Antillas, in Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe National Park (French: Parc national de la Guadeloupe) is a national park in Guadeloupe, an overseas territory of France. It's the only national park in Guadeloupe.
The tropical forest and the mountainous massif of Basse-Terre constituted an area of exceptional biodiversity and in the 1970s, the General Council of Guadeloupe decided to highlight this natural heritage under the name of "Parc naturel de Guadeloupe” (translates to Guadeloupe Natural Park), managed by the National Forestry Office (ONF), by developing hiking trails and creating reception facilities.
In 1977, the idea was put forward to protect this territory from the risk of degradation by classifying it as a national park and it is the February 20, 1989, Guadeloupe National Park was created, the first overseas national park of France. In 1987, the Nature Reserve of the Grand Cul-de-sac marine was created. Its management was entrusted to the national park in 1990.
In 1992, the existence of the national park and the natural reserve of Grand-Cul-de-Sac marin allowed Guadeloupe to be designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO under the name of "Archipelago of Guadeloupe", granting it international recognition.
Guadeloupe National Park can be reached via car by taking the D 23 highway down west from the town of Petit-Bourg. The road is fairly mountainous, but that's what makes this park unique as opposed to other national parks in metropolitan France.