Étang de Vaccarès

Étang de Vaccarès is a lake, or rather; a salt water lagoon (étang), in the wetlands of the Camargue in the delta of the River Rhône in southern France.[1]

Cormorants at dusk on the pond of Vaccarès
Shoreline of the Étang de Vaccarès
Shore of the Étang de Vaccarès
Map of the Camargue showing the location of the Étang de Vaccarès

Description

The lake has an area of 65 km², and the depth is less than two meters.[2] It is the northernmost, and also the largest of the lakes of the Camargue, and constitutes the principal element in the water control system of the Rhône delta, which depends upon a strict management of water resources, through pumping, irrigation and draining stations making a complex network of channels throughout the river delta.[3]

The lake is also an important place for rest and food for migratory birds, and it also has a population of the greater flamingo.[1] Because of its importance for wild birds, the Étang de Vaccarès with its surrounding wetlands has been protected as a nature reserve since 1927, and in 1972 it was incorporated into the Parc Régional de Camargue.

Pollution

Even though the lake is «protected», it is nevertheless exposed to the repercussions of pollution from the large industrial parks nearby, and runoff from the surrounding agricultural areas. Studies show that fish from the lake contains significant levels of contamination.[4]

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See also

References
  1. "Étang de Vaccarès | Seen.de". www.seen.de (in German). Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  2. "The etang of Vaccarès in Camargue". www.camargue-en-provence.com. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  3. "The Camargue (Rhône Delta)". www.languedoc-france.info. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  4. Study on the contamination of the fishpopulations in the Camargue (pdf, french)

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