natural region
A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate.
From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...
of
Lorraine
Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
in northeastern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It forms part of Lorraine plateau and lies largely in the department of
Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
. Along with the Côtes de Moselle, the Woëvre is one of the areas in Lorraine that receives the least rainfall; nonetheless, its river system is very important and feeds into the Lac de Madine.
Location
It lies on the right bank of the river
Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
, from the valley of the
Chiers
The Chiers (; , ) is a river in Luxembourg, Belgium and France. It is a right tributary of the Meuse. The total length of the Chiers is approximately , of which in France.
The source of the Chiers is near Differdange, in Luxembourg. The Chiers ...
in the north to the town of Neufchâteau in the south. To the west, the region follows the Meuse, and to the east, it extends into the neighboring department of
Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meurthe-et-Moselle () is a '' département'' in the Grand Est region of France, named after the rivers Meurthe and Moselle. Its prefecture and largest city is Nancy and it borders the departments of Meuse to the west, Vosges to the south, ...
. The Lac de Madine lies in the Woëvre, like does the western part of the
Parc naturel régional de Lorraine
Lorraine Regional Natural Park ( French: ''Parc naturel régional de Lorraine'') is a protected area of pastoral countryside in the Grand Est region of northeastern France, in the historic region of Lorraine. The park covers a total area of . The ...
. Neighboring natural regions include the Côtes de Meuse on the left bank of the Meuse, the
Barrois
Barrois () is a (a historic French division roughly equivalent to a county) in eastern France. In the Middle Ages, it was part of the Duchy of Bar, then bordering the Duchy of Lorraine
The Duchy of Lorraine was a principality of the Holy R ...
to the south and the Côtes de Moselle to the east. The part French, part Belgian
Gaume
Gaume () is a region in the extreme southeast of Belgium. At a lower altitude than the Ardennes, it borders the French region of Lorraine to the south (although some consider the bordering parts of Lorraine to be Gaume française), the Land of ...
region lies to the north.
Features
Since the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, inhabitants along part of this system have used earthen levees to create ponds used for
aquaculture
Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...
, which now provide important refuges for migratory birds.
The region's soil includes layers of
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
and
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
aquifers
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing material, consisting of permeability (Earth sciences), permeable or fractured rock, or of unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Aquifers vary greatly in their characteristics. The s ...
separated by impermeable clay. It is particularly forested, particularly with oak trees.
Two small pieces of land are still heavily contaminated from WWI and are designated part of
Zone Rouge
The (English: red zone) is a chain of non-contiguous areas throughout northeastern France that the French government isolated after the First World War. The land, which originally covered more than , was deemed too physically and environmen ...
.
Conservation
Certain areas are designated as " Zones naturelles d'intérêt écologique, faunistique et floristique", or ZNIEFFs, which marks them as particularly important to the preservation of France's ecological heritage either because of the plants or animals they support, their ecological role or their local or national importance. The "Conservatoire des sites lorraines" was created to protect endangered species, and it purchased most of the areas in 1994. Parts of the Woëvre have been designated as a protected
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**