19 Direction of Sustainable Development of the South Province Territories I Strolling along the waterways 18 Strolling along the waterways Particularities linked to the degree of hydromorphism of the soil The maquis of the almost permanent wetlands occupy the low plains and the alluvium of the waterways which drain it. They are divided into three large formations: - The maquis of the hydromorphic plains - The riparian maquis, along rivers and creeks - The plant grouping of sinkholes. An uncovered landscape with distant horizons These large expanses of grass, undulating in the wind, offer a landscape that is often very open where the gaze sweeps across and embraces the horizon. A few slender shapes of shrubs emerge very occasionally from this herbaceous mass where droplets and cobwebs hang. Surrounded by the surrounding reliefs or by areas of high shrub installed on low reliefs, the masses of compact plant tufts in areas of variable density alternate with the sparkling zones reflecting the sky. The maquis with almost permanent hydromorphism The maquis of hydromorphic plains A unique ecosystem under threat The maquis of almost permanent wetlands (maquis of hydromorphic plains and riparian maquis) constitute a particular and very original ecosystem, which is only found in the extreme south of New Caledonia’s Main Island. Theymay find themselves threatened by fires, futuremining, forest and industrial activities since they are directly under the influence of variations in the hydrological environment likely to be modified by water reservoirs and mining works. Formerly a tree-like landscape These wet and floodable areas would have previously been occupied by shrubby, tall to tree-like marshy formations according to palynological studies carried out in the lakes of the Goro plateau (Hope and Pask 1998) - lakes constituting real archives of the history of the vegetation of the South of the Main Island over the last 30,000 years. Today, this grouping is referred to as the association with Pancheria communis and Cloezia buxifolia (Jaffré, 1980), shrubs commonly found in these environments
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