Cenise Plateau

The Cenise plateau extends from the Bargy massif to the Rochers de Leschaux, straddling three municipalities and two intermunicipalities: the municipality of Mont-Saxonnex, located on the territory of the Community of Municipalities Cluses Arve and Mountains (2CCAM), and the communes of Glières-Val-de-Borne and Brison, located on the territory of the Community of Communes Faucigny-Glières (CCFG). The site offers a very open landscape with the subalpine lawns which occupy it, thus allowing an unobstructed view of the main peaks of Bargy. The plateau presents 630 hectares of rich and varied natural environments, supports of exceptional fauna and flora: karstic environments, ponds and wetlands, high altitude lawns.
Due to its remarkable natural heritage and its unique landscape setting, the Cenise plateau is included in the Natura 2000 site of the Bargy massif, designated to protect a certain number of habitats and species representative of European biodiversity. It is also in the process of being labeled Espace Naturel Sensible (ENS), a label awarded by the Department for sites intended to be preserved and promoted to the general public. This ENS policy is carried out at the local level by the Community of Communes Cluses Arve et Montagnes (2CCAM), which is responsible for the implementation of a management plan finalized in 2022: this document consists of drawing up an inventory of the site and actions to be implemented to reconcile attendance and preservation.
All the fauna typical of the mountain environment can be observed there: ibexes, chamois, marmots, black grouse… The site is also flown over by the bearded vulture, a large vulture reintroduced into the Bargy massif at the end of the 1980s. Wetlands and the meadows are particularly interesting from the floristic and faunal point of view.
The Cenise plateau is marked by high visitor numbers and presents conflicts of use, particularly in connection with the work carried out by the alpine pasture farmers on the land grazed by the cattle herds which maintain the site. Attendance, if it is not channeled and respectful, induces significant disturbances both for the mountain pasture but also for the biodiversity of the site. The communities and the various local players are working to solve the problems encountered, in particular by implementing the actions defined in the site management plan.