The roles and functions of the wetlands

Marshes, swamps, bogs...names that remind us of enigmatic and often unrecognised places. Their typical vegetation is formed of plants adapted to the cold and humid climate of our mountains. These wetlands are beneficial as they regulate the flow of water, trap sediment and filter pollutants. The water discharged is therefore of better quality. The willows (Salix) or the Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), two species inhabiting these wetlands, have interesting medicinal properties. Man extracts their active substances which are used as components in aspirin.