New life in the Kempen national park
A park in Flanders where you can walk for two days surrounded by nature? It seems like a far-fetched dream, but it’s coming
Grote Nete Wood set to grow
A little further on lies a stretch of land that looks very inhospitable. The trees, mainly black alder, stand with their feet in the water, with their branches so intertwined that with the best will in the world, passing through seems impossible. This type of forest, carr, occurs on very wet soils and is what makes the Grote Nete valley so unique. Carr forests are very rare in Flanders, and in the rest of Europe, thanks to human interference in the watercourses.
The water of the Grote Nete looks rusty brown due to the sand, which is high in iron oxide, explains Pauels, co-ordinator of the Grote Nete Wood visitor centre. “Twenty years ago, the water quality of the Grote Nete, like everywhere in Flanders, was particularly bad, mainly through the release of excess manure. It was a time when slicks of foam floated on rivers that were almost dead.
Fragmented forest
“Because of this, the carr forests along the Grote Nete were left intact and have never been converted to farmland. With the improvement of the water quality the woods have also recovered, and that’s why we have so many of these types of habitat here. The water quality is currently very good here and the woods are full of life again.”
We can certainly be proud of our nature here in the Kempen
The presence of unique carr forests led to Europe coming up with support. Through the Life project that supports conservation and nature development in Europe, Flemish conservation agency Natuurpunt and its partners get funds to join up the valley’s fragmented wild areas of forest. But its ambition reaches further: It should be possible to go beyond the area of the valley and create a nature area of 1,200 hectares, spanning the municipalities of Balen, Mol, Meerhout, Geel and Ham, under the name Grote Nete Wood.
Further on we find ourselves suddenly in a totally different landscape: another nature reserve, the Belse Heide in the municipality of Geel. It’s full of oak interspersed with spruce; autumn is at its best here. But actually these trees don’t grow here naturally. After a short walk through the forest we arrive at a spot that looks like a desert, with sand dunes that are moved naturally by the wind through the landscape. This is how the area must have looked in a distant past.
After a brief walk we come to a very uncommon sight for a nature reserve: A rather large piece of forest has been cut, and only the stumps of the trees remain. Here the planted forest has been cleared to make way for more natural moorland. “That was not easily accepted by the public,” says Pauels. “Even for me it was a shock when I saw it for the first time. But look, there are already rare plants germinated from seeds that may have been lying underground for decades.”
Return of rare creatures
The Grote Nete valley is a very valuable area for nature, a mix of habitats such as alluvial carr forests, heath, sand dunes, grassland and marsh. Rare animals such as the black woodpecker and the kingfisher are at home here. “Our hope is that the otter and the beaver will return; these animals are the symbol of our project. Already a beaver has been seen around here,” says Pauels.
There are already rare plants germinated from seeds that may have been lying underground for decades
It’s just a taste of what is to come. Natuurpunt has ambitious plans for the region, says Stefan Versweyveld, head of the agency’s projects department. “Natuurpunt and its predecessors have been active in this area for 20 years. We manage a lot of nature reserves, but these are still very fragmented. It’s quite a long valley, so we looked for a joint project. Eventually, there will be a continuous area where you can walk for two full days in the wild.
“As important as the new nature, though, is involving people in this story. We want to show that it is possible, even in a densely populated region like Flanders, to create large natural areas where there is room for both man and nature. The Nete runs through several villages, but the residents often don’t know it well enough. We can certainly be proud of our nature here in the Kempen.”
The Life project runs for six years, but there’s no need to wait that long: Already there is a series of walks through the various nature reserves, including three “Wild Walks”, a foretaste of what is coming. The visitor centre in Meerhout is a good starting point, but throughout the region there are walks, cycle routes and bridleways. Wild Flanders awaits you.
