Vegetation, fauna, landscape, traditional and recent activities are studied in a nature reserve in the subalpine belt of the french Alps, for which a management plan will be defined. Special regard focuses on the impact of sheep grazing, on the sylvopastoral system, as it reveals to be a key factor for the management of this area. Scattered mountain pine trees (Pinus uncinata) and dry grasslands with Carex sempervirens cover the High Plateau and form a typical landscape. Emphasis is put on vegetation mapping (ecofacies, remote sensing SPOT). The data obtained are evaluated with regard to their interrelations. After hierarchisation with priority to nature conservation aspects (black grouse), a spatial and/or temporal separation of the conflictual elements is proposed. Parts of this paper constitute the Vercors Regional Park contribution to the EC-DG-XII STEP project INTEGRALP, accomplished in 1993.