The nature reserve of Scandola lays around an ancient volcano that collapsed into the sea, as shown by the iconic horizontal columnar jointed basalt. Protected since 1975, it is the first site in France to focus on both terrestrial (2270 acres) and marine (2471 acres) heritage preservation. Scandola is a precious marine biodiversity area: long gone species in the rest of the Mediterranean sea remain there, and to this day new species continue to be discovered.