A Natura 2000 corridor protecting the Dordogne river valley and its limestone slopes in the Quercy region of southwest France.
Vallée de la Dordogne quercynoise
The Vallée de la Dordogne quercynoise is a French Natura 2000 site that follows the Dordogne river as it cuts through the Quercy region of southwestern France. Designated in 2007 as a Site of Community Importance and Special Area of Conservation, the site covers roughly 5,567 hectares across twenty communes in the Lot department, in the Occitanie region.
The protected area combines the active river channel, its alluvial forests and floodplain meadows, and the limestone hillslopes, or coteaux, that frame the valley. This mix of aquatic, riparian, and dry calcareous habitats supports a rich community of European conservation interest, including several Annex II species of bats, fish, and invertebrates, alongside diverse Annex I habitat types.
The valley sits within a broader landscape of cultural and ecological significance, set between features such as the viewpoints above Copeyre, the historic bridges and villages along the Dordogne, and the surrounding Quercy plateau. It functions less as a single bounded park and more as a long, linear conservation corridor following the river through one of France's most picturesque limestone valleys.
