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The Ballons des Vosges Nature Park (French: Parc naturel régional des Ballons des Vosges) is a protected area of woodland, pasture, wetland, farmland and historical sites in the regions of Alsace, Franche-Comté and Lorraine in northeastern France. The area was officially designated as a regional natural park in 1989. 187 communes belonging to the departments of Haut-Rhin, Vosges, Haute-Saône and Territoire de Belfort are members of the park, which hosts 238,000 inhabitants. It is one of the largest and most populated French regional parks. A wide range of habitats available in the park benefit a variety of wildlife such as boreal owl, lynx, peregrine falcon, western capercaillie, Dianthus superbus, cranberry and Drosera. A regional nature park or regional natural park (French: parc naturel régional or PNR) is a public establishment in France between local authorities and the French national government covering an inhabited rural area of outstanding beauty, in order to protect the scenery and heritage as well as setting up sustainable economic development in the area.A PNR sets goals and guidelines for managed human habitation, sustainable economic development, and protection of the natural environment based on each park's unique landscape and heritage. The parks also foster ecological research programs and public education in the natural sciences.As of 2014 there are 49 PNRs. These account for 15% of all French territory, over 7,000,000 hectares (17,000,000 acres). The parks encompass over 4,200 communes with more than three million inhabitants.[3] The PNR system was created by a decree of March 1, 1967. The territory covered by each PNR is decided by the French Prime Minister and is reexamined every 12 years.