“I am glad we are able to support nature organisations and individuals in their work in implementing Flanders’ biodiversity policy and the accessibility of nature reserves,” said Schauvliege. “Thanks to the efforts of numerous volunteers, this management can be socially inclusive and cost-efficient.”
Nature conservancy organisation Natuurpunt welcomed the measure. “These extra resources are very welcome for us and for our land management colleagues,” said director-general Chris Steenwegen. “This will allow us to better support our volunteers in their management work and to make our nature areas more attractive to visitors.”
Natuurpunt is the largest private landowner in Flanders, with about 20,000 hectares under its supervision, compared to only 12,000 a decade ago. The organisation’s holdings are roughly equivalent to the surface area of the entire Brussels metro area, but not all of them are yet officially recognised by the government, which means they receive no support. “That of course is an untenable situation,” he said.
According to the General Union of Farmers, that situation is not good for the agricultural sector. Chairman Hendrik Vandamme called on the government to stop buying up agricultural land for nature reserves. The government, he said, is granting subsidies to Natuurpunt of up to 90% of the land price, while farmers are being robbed of arable land.
Schauvliege, meanwhile, praised the contribution of farmers in helping protect natural areas, such as by putting animals onto reserve land that benefits from grazing or by maintaining the grass in areas rich in bird life.
Last week the planning ministry also announced a plan for the extension of the nature reserve around the Zwin estuary at the coast (pictured), on the border with the Netherlands. The reserve, an important bird sanctuary, will be extended by 120 hectares, largely by returning the Willem-Leopold polder to the sea. Farmers whose land will be affected have vowed to fight the plan.
