On Thursday 08 September 2022, the Castle of Freÿr hosted a symposium on conservation actions in favour of bats, organised by Natagriwal asbl and the Public Service of Wallonia (SPW) as part of the final conference of the LIFE BNIP. The event was attended by 110 people, mainly field and nature managers (agents of the…
Belgium has some beautiful, but unfortunately also endangered, open landscape types: ‘Inland dunes with open Corynephorus and Agrostis grasslands’ (2330), ‘European dry heaths’ (4030), ‘Species-rich Nardus grasslands, on silicious substrates in mountain areas (and submountain areas in Continental Europe)’ (6230*) and ‘Sub-Pannonic steppic grasslands’ (6410). These landscapes are under pressure from wood colonisation, invasive species…
If there was an award for most mysterious amphibian, the common spadefoot would definitely win. It lives its entire life in hiding or underground, has a silent call and is unfortunately very rare. The common spadefoot can only be found in two more places in Belgium: in Peer and in Zonhoven. Fortunately, thanks to the…
Restoration and proper management of more wetlands is much needed. Dry summers and wet winters will become more frequent. For this, we need to strengthen and restore the sponge effect of our nature. During this inspiration day of the LIFE BNIP project, we visit the Webbekoms Broek in the Demer valley. Thanks to the LIFE…
BNIP creates extra value for agricultural land near watercourses and raises awareness Once widely present in Europe, alluvial forests have become rare, and their conservation state has deteriorated. Many threats weigh upon this habitat: drainage, filling, soil compaction and colonization by invasive alien species. The conservation state of this ecosystem has led to classify it…
Farmers enjoyed an interesting workshop about harriers in Wallonia As part of our BNIP actions for harriers, a workshop for farmers was organised in the agricultural plain of Celles, in Hainaut. An ornithologist from Natagora presented to the 18 participants the 3 species of harriers present in Belgium: the Western Marsh Harrier, the Montagu’s Harrier…
In the breach for iconic beetle, the stag beetle At 9 cm long, the stag beetle is our largest indigenous species. However, this iconic species is not doing so well in Flanders. Currently there are only 4 known metapopulations, one of which is in Voeren. That population was not well known at the time of…
Inspiring results from 4 years of species protection for the Montagu’s harrier summarised in a fascinating report Four years after the start of the species protection programme for the western marsh harrier, a team of area co-ordinators, company planners, field bird experts and farmers has managed to create 326 hectares of suitable habitat. This involves…
Hikers thoroughly enjoyed ‘the Natura 2000 day’ edition 2021! On 21 May we celebrated the European Natura 2000 day. From 12 to 24 May, all LIFE BNIP project partners organised various outdoor activities in both Flanders and Wallonia in the context of “De natuur is jarig / Nature en fête”. The programme included a number of…
Breeding programme common spadefoot running smoothly Due to its mysterious way of life, the population of common spadefoots in Belgium has declined dramatically. Contemporary techniques make it possible to give the population a boost. Lily Gora of Nature and Forests of the Flemish government guides us through the process of growing and releasing the toads,…