What comes to your mind when reading the word “Armagnac”? A world famous brandy? Gentle slopes with varied cultures in a rural area of southwestern France, famous for its culinary traditions? Or an agricultural landscape embedded in a web of heaths, woodlots and fish ponds? Perhaps you should focus o­n the latter as key for sustainable development in this area.

The Armagnac Ponds retain freshwater for irrigation and to water the cattle. The ponds absorb excessive floods, capture sediment and nutrient flows. The ponds provide abundant fish resources. And the regional biodiversity hotspots are linked to the ponds, especially where surrounded by shallow riparian zones, flood prone meadows, and wet forest parts. Ramsar’s Tobias Salathé visited the area recently to confer with the local people about designation for the Ramsar List.

Source: website of the Ramsar Convention

Updated on 7/14/2008 3:01:35 PM.