Wetlands and their importance for Natural Flood Management

Wetland are areas of land where the soil is saturated permanently or seasonally.  They are important habitats both for wildlife and for holding water to alleviate flooding.  The Allan Water catchment has a range of wetlands including peat bogs and fens.  Bogs are acidic as they receive water from rainfall whereas fens are fed by water via rock and soil containing dissolved minerals.  Consequently fens have more diverse and lush vegetation.