At the heart of the Lorraine Regional Nature Park, Madine Lake serves as a water reservoir for the city of Metz, as a wildlife reserve, and as a recreational area. Its abundant biodiversity makes it a National Hunting and Wild Fauna Reserve that covers 4,450 acres (1,800 ha) and encompasses the lake's shores and their surroundings since 1998. Madine Lake is, for example, home to more than 250 species of aquatic birds, such as ducks, as well as migratory ones like the common crane.