The Reserve Geologique de Haute-Provence is located in the Alpes de Haute-Provence and Vardpartements of southeastern France. Its centre is the little town of Digne-les-Bains, approximately 150 kilometres north of Nice and 800 km south of Paris.

This region corresponds to the northern part of Provence, where it meets the Alps, an upland area with altitudes ranging from 400 to 2960 metres. The result is a great diversity of natural environments with the lowest lying areas in the wine and olive-growing zones and the highest peaks in the Alpine level.

The Haute-Provence Geological Reserve is situated in the external part of the Occidental Alpes: at the border between the domain of southern subalpine chains affected by middle-scale overthrusting with a generally South vergence and the limestone Provence, whose tectonic evolution is a result of early phases and which is less affected by alpine orogenesis per se.

The main activities are centred on agriculture (sheep-raising, in particular, which plays an important part in landscape conservation) and tourism. The tourism is focused on leisure, nature and culture, with the mineral springs and spa playing an important role in Digne-les-Bains. These two pillars also support services and crafts, but there is no industry on the territory.

The Haute-Provence Natural Geological Reserve comprises 18 listed sites according to the 1976 Environmental Protection Act. These 18 sites represent 665 acres; they are surrounded by a protection zone which covers the whole of the territory's 55 districts, that is to say a little over 2000 square km. In this immense open-air museum, fossil extraction is prohibited. Also, within the perimeter of the listed sites more strict regulations prevail, prohibiting among other things,the collection of naturally free-lying objects.