The irrigation canals and wet areas

Gravity-fed irrigation canals were built in the Champsaur as far back as the Middle Ages. To avoid conflict, syndicates were formed to share out the water resource between the various users, as evidenced by letters of complaint which can be consulted in the departmental archives. These canals were dug directly into the ground, and some of the water flowing through them seeped into the earth, feeding springs and wet areas which contain adapted animal and plant species, some of which are in decline.