PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Some 2000 years ago, the original mudflats along the Belgian coast were closed off by a dune belt, behind which an extensive area of peat bogs formed. Incursions by the sea during the Middle Ages caused this bog to become saline and left it covered with a fertile layer of mud. Converted to polders, the land has been used almost exclusively as pasture since then. The saline grasslands of the Uitkerkse Polder are of global importance for migrating geese and meadow birds, especially the pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) (about 95% of the Spitzbergen population winters here), lapwings (Vanellus vanellus), of which about 120 000 spend the winter here, and golden plovers (Pluvialis apricaria) - 100 000 wintering.
This would be a superb nature area, had it not undergone a radical change, partly due to the past effects of national and EU agricultural policy. Since the 1960s, over 40% of the polder grasslands have been destroyed. Their micro-topography was levelled and large areas were drained, excessively manured or transformed into maize fields or high-yield grasslands.
Local NGOs started the first conservation actions in the early 1990s and in 1999 Natuurpunt launched a first LIFE-Nature project to purchase and restore degraded grasslands. After restoration, contracts were made with local farmers to use these grasslands in a more sustainable way. Complementary to this LIFE-Nature project, the Flemish government improved the protection status of these grasslands and started its own restoration project in Zuienkerke-Meetkerke, the area south of the Uitkerkse Polder. The results of the LIFE-Nature project were so positive and farmers’ interest was so great that a follow-up LIFE-Nature application was submitted in 2002.
OBJECTIVES
Building on the achievements of its predecessor, this second LIFE-Nature project focused on the purchase and restoration of around 120 ha of deteriorated grassland. Objectives aimed to: convert arable fields to saline grasslands; reproduce original micro-topography and ditch patterns; excavate pools; and prepare grazing infrastructure. As this district is a major tourist area, the project also aimed to make good use of latent social and economic opportunities that were potentially available from the nature reserve.
RESULTS
The project was completed successfully and achieved its aim of adding conservation value to the Uitkerkse Polder.
Land acquisition increased the coverage of protected areas within the Polder’s nature reserve by 156.48 ha, of which 138.85 ha (exceeding the project target of 130 ha) was co-financed by LIFE. This extension of the nature reserve helped to improve habitat management by reducing fragmentation and allowing for an optimal management of large, coherent blocks of land.
Following land purchases, practical start-up restoration and conservation works were undertaken on more than 100 ha. This resulted in the creation of a vast network of marshes and salty grasslands, comprising ditches, ponds, restored reed-banks, new naturally shaped canal banks, etc.. Impacts of these improved habitat features on breeding, resting and wintering birds have been monitored closely by the beneficiary, and have resulted in remarkable increases of local densities and breeding successes for many bird species.
Socio-economic results have also been positive and these are attributed to increased tourist trade for local businesses linked to the new visitor centre and exhibition facilities that were co-financed by the LIFE project.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).
An ex-post visit was carried out by the LIFE external monitoring team in April 2017, eight years after the project closed. This concluded that the project had very successfully restored salty polder habitats and their associated species, which continue to be under pressure from urbanisation and the intensification of agriculture. Since the end of the project in 2009, the project site has been officially designated as a Natura 2000 network site, as part of the larger site ‘Polders’ (BE2500002).The ex-post found noticeable improvements in the state of target habitats (both in area and function) and species in the Uitkerkse Polder, which should enable the conservation status of those habitats and species to improve regionally and nationally. Habitat restoration has been particularly beneficial for breeding and wintering wetland birds. For example, numbers of black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa) rose from 60 breeding pairs in 1990 to 187 pairs in 2016 (now representing 15-20% of the national population); avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) increased from 4 to 78 breeding pairs (15-20% of the national population); redshank (Tringa tetanus) increased from 6 to 100 pairs (30% of the national population); and the first breeding attempt by Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) was observed in 2016. A good level of cooperation between farmers and conservationists has continued, with around 45 farmers actively involved in the management of restored meadows under conditions laid down in annual or multiannual management contracts with project beneficiary Natuurpunt. Some farmers have exploited new business opportunities by rearing cattle breeds (e.g. Blonde d'Aquitaine) that are better adapted to the saline grasslands, need little veterinary involvement, and offer highly-valued meat that can be marketed as a local product. The restoration work, new visitor centre and nature trails has increased the value of the site for the local community; a steep increase in tourist numbers (over 150 000 per year by 2016) has brought economic benefits to the area. Also noteworthy is the growing number of volunteers (now over 40 local people) who work on the site. The follow-up ‘Oostkustpolders’ (LIFE12 NAT/BE/000252) project is ensuring the sustainability of many UITKERKSEPOLDER actions, through the continuation of restoration and management measures using a more integrated approach over a larger area.
