Wetlands

Wetlands occupy 2.6% of the Park's territory, with a predominance in Limousin where the terrain is impermeable. But be careful, these environments are in decline with the abandonment of traditional practices and the creation of ponds.

THE IMPORTANCE OF WETLANDS

Wetlands are of great importance for the preservation of water resources, both quantitative and qualitative. They are in fact sometimes compared to natural wastewater treatment plants, the plants which compose them playing the role of filter for the water which passes through them. They are also considered sponges, which have the capacity to absorb water during particularly humid periods, thus limiting, for example, the risk of flooding. Water that they redistribute graciously when it becomes scarcer, avoiding droughts. The wetlands of the Périgord-Limousin Park, and more particularly those of Limousin, located at the head of three watersheds, see this interest further exacerbated.

THE NATURAL EVOLUTION OF A WET ZONE

Wetlands evolve through several stages:

  • The wet meadow: the vegetation is low, water can be present all year round. Wet meadows differ depending on the type and intensity of management practiced (grazing, mowing, grinding, etc.). There we find the Marsh Populage also called “water marigold” but also the Marsh Snipe also called “queen of the marshes”.
  • The megaphorbia: the vegetation is taller (more than 1.5 m) and luxuriant. It is often found along watercourses, or it replaces grazed or mown wet meadows whose management practices have been abandoned. There we come across the Angelique des Bois and the Lixux iridis.
  • Humid afforestation: trees and shrubs grow on soils that are waterlogged for part of the year. Herbaceous vegetation is sparsely present and not very diversified. We find there the black alder and the alder siskin.
  • The pond: found in this small body of water, insect larvae serve as food for tadpoles which will become frogs and toads.