Map Viewing Service (WMS) of the dataset: Wetlands on the department of Bouches-du-Rhône

Wetlands are areas where water is the main determinant of the environment and associated plant and animal life. They are found where the water table is either flushing or close to the surface of the soil, or where the land is covered by water. Article L. 211-1 of the Environmental Code provides the following definition: ‘wetland' means land, whether or not exploited, usually flooded or engrossed with fresh water, salted or brackish permanently or temporarily, or whose vegetation, where it exists, is dominated by hygrophilic plants* for at least part of the year;’ * Hygrophilic: in botany, hygrophilia refers to the high water requirements of some plants during their development. The Order of 24 June 2008 specifies the criteria for the definition and delimitation of wetlands pursuant to Articles L. 214-7-1 and R. 211-108 of the Environmental Code. An area shall be considered wetland if it has at least one of the following criteria: — Its soils correspond to one or more soil types among those listed in Annex 1 to the said Order. — Its vegetation, if it exists, is characterised either by wetland indicator species [...] or by communities of plant species, known as 'habitats', characteristics of wetlands...’. In 1996, the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) developed a national wetland typology defining 13 categories. It allows a homogeneous characterisation of wetlands in all inventories. This was included in the Master Plan for Development and Management of Rhone Mediterranean Waters (SDAGE) and specified in the SDAGE Technical Guide n°5. For each wetland surveyed, a “SDAGE type” that characterises it has been defined. Ten main types of wetlands are recognised in the Bouches-du-Rhône: 2 — Medium flat bays and estuaries 3 — Coastal marshes and lagoons 4 — Furnished brackish marshes 5 — River edges 6 — Alluvial Plains 9 — Small bodies of water and edges of water bodies 10 — Wet plain and plateau marshes and heaths 11 — Point Wetlands 12 — Marais for agricultural purposes 13 — Artificial Wetlands