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Landscapes of the Charente
Catchment Area


The natural anvironment of the catchment area of the Charente is very diversified : it is made of valleys (Charente valley, Boutonne valley, Tardoire valley and Bandiat valley), of “prées” (floodplains), of marshes, as well as of plains and bocages. The river Charente is lined with corn cultures.

Click here to see the map of the "pays"

Charente limousine


The river goes through glens of rye and linen fields, through woods of beeches trees, of chestnut trees, of oaks trees, of birches, and forms branches and small islands. Grasslands, bocages and pasturelands surround the river, lined by reeds.


Pays Civraisien


The « pays Civraisien » displays some bocage landscapes, but also plains and wooded valleys. On the West, there are mostly cultivated landscapes, with very few trees; on the East, the landscape is made of heath (small reliefs made of moor and of jennets).


Pays Ruffécois


We find there numerous forests : the one of the Braconne, the one of Boixe, the one of Tusson… (the wooded areas represent 10 to 35 % of the whole catchment area), and again, islands and small islands.


Close to the Pays d’Horte and to the river Tardoire


Close to La Rochefoucauld, the landscape is made of Karst and a lot of the streams disappear under the ground to spring again in the Touvre. There are many swallow holes and abysses to visit.


L’Angoumois


Plains allow navigation until Rochefort, that is why we find in this part many locks.


Pays Cognaçais


Between Cognac and Angoulême, Cognac and Pineau vineyards are almost everywhere.

Saintonge romane


The landscape is mainly made of wide water meadows.


Pays Rochefortais


The land is marshy, because the sea is not far. The marshes, wet or dry, create sinuous labyrinths. We can see the influence of the tide on the river in that place, because the estuary is not far.

The catchment area of the river Charente has got also many wetlands of importance, that are protected : Zones Naturelles d’Intérêt floristique et faunistique – ZNIEFF and Sites Natura 2000.

Click here to see the map of the natural heritage


 

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