Grass strip bordering a plot, mainly located along rivers, which acts as a buffer zone by intercepting and filtering runoff water.
Protected area under the Ramsar convention. This intergovernmental treaty signed on 2 February 1971 in Ramsar (Iran) and ratified by France in 1986, deals with Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitats.
All living beings (Living communities), non-living elements and climatic and geological conditions (biotope) that are related and interact with each other, and which constitute a basic functional unit in ecology. The ecosystem of an aquatic environment is generally described by: the living beings that are part of it, the nature of the bed and river banks, the characteristics of the catchment area, the hydraulic regime, and the physical-chemical characteristics of water.
Area designated as requiring special protection under the European directives. A register is established on a river basin scale identifying various protected areas: vulnerable areas ("Nitrates" Directive), sensitive zones ("Urban Wastewater Treatment" Directive), areas designated under the "Habitats" Directive and "Birds" Directive as bathing areas, shellfish areas, categories of streams (Directive 78/659/EEC). The