An artificialized graphic landscape and a drowned biodiversity Between a steep forest meander and the clear horizon of a flat lake, enigmatic and even ghostly shapes of greying trunks emerge from the lake. The impoundment of the reservoir linked to the Yaté dam has drowned the forest present on the watershed of the river, creating a sinister, enigmatic or aesthetic atmosphere, depending on opinions, but leaving no one indifferent. 41 Direction of Sustainable Development of the South Province Territories I Strolling along the waterways 40 Strolling along the waterways At the confluence The disappeared mouthpieces Here, the rivers flow dully into the calm waters of Yaté Lake. In the rainy season, when the lake fills, the entire Blue River Valley is flooded. In summer, at low water, bare ground appears, littered with shot and petrified or living plants, such as eriocaulon. The Perignon Bridge, a trace of logging Today a registered monument, this bridge (1) entirely made of wood connects Bon Secours (2) and its marsh, the White River and Month of May River to the Blue River, hidden by a ridge that separates them. Completed, in 1958, by the forestry operator Perignon, this bridge, more than 80 meters long, spans the mouth of the White River on the banks of the lake. Its sleepers and beams were cut from gum oak, a heavy, resistant and rot-proof wood, as can be seen by the numerous dead trees of the Drowned Forest (3) which have remained present since the valley was impounded in 1959. Its apron can be covered by around ten centimetres of water when the lake is at its maximum level (160 m). Although Cyclone Erica, in 2003, shook its structure, forcing the park administration to close it to automobile traffic, it nevertheless allowed nature-loving visitors to walk there. The Drowned Forest View of the Drowned Forest The Bon Secours marshes 1 2 3
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