The bocage, one of the keys to the functionality of watercourses at the head of the catchment area

Abstract

The ripisylve refers to the plant formations that develop on the banks of rivers. In Brittany and Pays de la Loire, along the small rivers at the head of the catchment area, this river often takes the form of a more or less wide hedge on either side of the minor stream bed. A project led by the Brittany-Loire Interregional Department of the French Biodiversity Agency highlighted the importance of preserving "hedges/ripisylves" at the head of the catchment area, given the many services they provide to rivers and society in general (flood protection, water purification, habitats for many species, etc.).