Created in its current form in 1968, the Réserve Naturelle Nationale du Néouvielle (Néouvielle National Nature Reserve) (RNNN) is one of the first nature reserves in France. It was initiated in 1922 by a biology laboratory (which became the reserve's reception building), which already confirmed the scientific interest of the site. Officially born in 1936, the protected area took its current form after being taken over by the State. The Néouvielle reserve is an imposing granite barrier between the Gaves and Nestes valleys.