Restoration of Grote Beek

Overview

The Valley of the Grote Beek, located in the Belgian province of Limburg, stretches across the municipalities of Beringen, Ham and Leopoldsburg in Flanders (Belgium). Together with other parallel peat valley systems originating from the Campine plateau, it forms a valuable fen peatland complex. Originally the area was a percolation mire, however now the area is mainly characterised by extensive alder swamp forests interspersed with open fen habitats that support a rich biodiversity.

The landscape is shaped by two interconnected stream valleys. The Grote Beek in Leopoldsburg which flows westwards through Ham before joining the Grote Nete. The Kleine Beek runs south of Beverlo, merges with the Laardijbeek, and eventually flows towards the Demer.

Natuurpunt manages and owns approximately 230 hectares of the Grote Beek. Despite its ecological importance, the area remains highly fragmented. 

Background

At the start of our project, the Valley of the Grote Beek was a rather unknown and ‘forgotten’ area. Nature there is scattered in small plots and is often strongly influenced by its surroundings. During World War II, parts of the area were heavily bombed, leaving bomb pits that are still present in the landscape. After the war, parts of this wet area spontaneously developed into alder swamp forests, while other parts of the valley were drained for agriculture or housing. For example, the village of Beverlo is built in the middle of the historical peatland. In the future, we aim to develop a large, contiguous natural valley area where peat can play an active role in climate change mitigation by storing carbon instead of emitting it, as well as buffering water from floods and droughts, while also developing as a hotspot for biodiversity and harbouring rare, protected peatland specialist species again.

Objectives

In the context of climate-adaptive nature restoration, it is important to look beyond the remnants with the most potential. For this area, a complete restoration of the ecosystem is necessary. So, we will restore the abiotic factors of large parts of the valley to enable it to provide various ecosystem services again. More specifically, we will restore the valley hydrologically. To do so, ditches, canals and streams will be closed, relevelled or dammed to ensure that the water in the core area stays between 10 and 20 centimetres below surface level. Putting this hydrological restoration into practice requires a thorough understanding of the hydrological system in the stream valley. For this purpose, an ecohydrological study has been conducted. 

Concrete objectives:

130 hectares of hydrological restoration within the valley

• Restoring habitats 91E0 (alder carr) and 7140 (transition mire)
• Reducing emission from peat degradation by more than 1000tCO2-eq/y

Activities

Within the valley, we aim to restore two peatland habitats: Alder swamp forest and transition mires. Alder swamp forest is a type of forested peatland characterised by long-term stagnant surface water resulting from strong seepage, characterised by a rich undergrowth of sedges and marsh marigolds. Near natural Transition mires have active peat formation. They are always under the influence of water, whether from precipitation, surface water or groundwater. Transition mires are actually a transition between fens and bogs or land or water communities. They are characterisedby a complex, yet very stable water regime, with water levels maintained at the soil surface, and are sensitive to disturbance. Some characteristic species for this habitat type are: peat mosses, small sedges, beak sedges, buckbean, water arum, cottongrasses and marsh cinquefoil.

Belgium’s first paludiculture pilot 

A pioneering paludiculture pilot has been launched within LIFE Multi Peat, marking the first real‑life example of wet farming in Belgium. In collaboration with a local farmer, willows have been planted along a gradient from wet peat remnant to drier sandy soil to test how alternative wet‑loving crops can bridge the gap between rewetted peatlands and surrounding farmland. This pilot explores how willows, chosen for their strong growth, high‑quality fibres, ecological benefits and sterile triploid nature, can offer sustainable products while supporting biodiversity and reducing carbon emissions from peatlands. The site will provide crucial insights, helping to overcome early challenges and laying the groundwork for future policy, market development and the wider adoption of climate‑friendly wet farming in Belgium.

If you want to know more on the LIFE Multi Peat project in Belgium, please visit the Natuurpunt project page (but be aware that it is mainly in Dutch).