Government looks to protect unzoned woodland
Flanders' unzoned woodland – forest growing in areas where it is not under special protection – is under threat of being felled at any time, the government’s agency for nature and woodland reports
Among measures is asking ANB to be stricter when dealing with applications for removal of woodland
Flemish nature minister Joke Schauvliege has expressed the desire to offer better protection to the endangered woods – about one-ninth of the region’s total of 178,000 hectares. Among the measures available is asking the ANB to be more strict when dealing with applications for removal of woodland. That would help avoid the kind of protests carried out by conservationists in the Lappersfort forest near Bruges over the course of more than eight years from 2001 to 2009. Lappersfort was eventually felled for development.
The decisions of ANB are not binding, so Schauvliege now intends to approach her colleague, urban planning minister Philippe Muyters, for his co-operation. “To be certain of keeping this valuable woodland alive, I’ll explain to him the need to maintain green areas as much as possible,” she said.
