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| Gorges of the Bras de Caverne, River Gorge |
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| Note the helicopter flying through the gorge (actually clearer than appears here). Access to the interior of Reunion is made difficult by the numerous gorges of the Bras de Caverne River, which cuts its bed through the volcanic breaks of the Cirque de Salazie. Certain sites were not explored until quite recently, such as the Trou de Fer (Iron Hole), a ravine 820 feet deep that was first explored in 1989. Thus preserved from human interference, the tropical forest on the volcanic relief of the island has maintained its primal condition, featuring giant thorns, ferns, and lichens. The forest at lower altitudes has been converted into agricultural or urban regions and has disappeared. More than thirty animal or vegetable species, including approximately twenty that were endemic to the island, have become extinct here in the past four centuries. Island systems have tremendous biological diversity, but they usually experience a higher rate of species extinction. Photographer Yann Arthus Bertand. |
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