Established on 5 March 2007, the park protects the endemic ecosystems of Les Hauts, Réunion's mountainous interior, and covers around 42% of the island.

[1] The park's mission, other than preserving landscape and biodiversity, is to share knowledge and welcome visitors, and to work together with local communes.

The Réunion Environmental Charter and the Regional Development Plan formally established the principle that a park should be created in Les Hauts, the mountainous interior of the island.

[2] Between 2000 and 2003, a consultation process was launched, in which the state, the region, the département, and the association of mayors agreed on a protocol and established a steering committee.

27 of 29 institutions endorsed the plan of establishing a national park, and on 29 March 2003, the French Prime Minister signed a decree acknowledging the project.

[4]: 3 The core of Réunion National Park covers 1,053.84 km2 (406.89 sq mi) in the interior of the island, corresponding to 42% of its surface and extending over the land of 23 communes.

Adjacent to the core is an area of voluntary commitment (aire d'adhésion, buffer zone) covering 876.96 km2 (338.60 sq mi) and touching all 24 communes on the island.

[6] Four major areas form the heart of the national park, listed as World Heritage site:[6] Réunion shares a common natural history with the other Mascarene Islands, Mauritius and Rodrigues.

Less than 25% of Réunion is thought to be covered with original vegetation according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), mostly restricted to higher altitudes.

Notable butterfly species include Papilio phorbanta and Salamis augustina, and an endemic reptile is the Reunion Island day gecko.

[12] The park's visitor's centre, Maison du parc at La Plaine-des-Palmistes, was inaugurated on 21 August 2014 by French President François Hollande.

[6] The park is governed by an administrative council (Conseil d'administration, CA) composed of 88 members, the majority of them local representatives.

Inhabitants of the area, which live in small hamlets, so called îlets, criticized management for not respecting their history and traditions, and cited farming activities banned on several occasions.

[17] Park officials and opposition politicians rejected the plan, saying it would threaten the island's biodiversity, the World Heritage listing, and critical access to state funding.

[18] In September 2016, the national park's director, Marylène Hoarau, announced her withdrawal upon pressure from Ségolène Royal, head of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.