A reedbed restoration experiment in a freshwater swamp

Abstract

A reedbed restoration experiment has been underway in the Grande Brière swamp since 2008 to meet socio-economic and ecological targets. The technical challenge of this experiment consisted in mechanical mowing with low bearing capacity equipment that respects the site's strong constraints (peat substrate and water cycle). A few months after the experiment, phragmite productivity was found to be at an intermediate level compared to reference reedbeds. The plant biodiversity remained low despite an interesting seed potential while the use of this reedbed by fish fauna was limited during the following spring flooding.