Reclaiming reclaimed land

 

Text: Since medieval times, land is being reclaimed from the sea. Here (on the picture), at the edge of the plateau of Izenberge, the old land polder of Veurnambacht is located. This is one of the first polders ever reclaimed from the sea in Flanders. From the moment of land reclamation onwards, the land has been used for pasture (and a bit cropland, although the clay soil is not ideal for this), peat excavation and settlement. Today, the area comprises of Veurne and some small picturesque villages such as Lampernisse that are surrounded by wet grasslands. In most places the old tidal channels (‘krekerige’ in the local dialect) are not present anymore.  However, one ‘fossil’ tidal channel is conserved. Until a few decades ago, the area surrounding this channel has been used as pasture grassland. However in the end of the 20th century, the Flemish Land Company (Vlaamse Landmaatschappij) has reclaimed this land from agricultural use in a land consolidation effort. Now the tidal channel and the area surrounding it is protected area used for nature conservation and recreation.  You can even say that old ‘pioneer’ land is being reclaimed to give it back to nature. I really like this idea of ‘giving back’ to nature, an idea which is being postulated by the ‘rewilding’ movement on a larger scale. With pressure on natural ecosystems rising globally, this case study can help us answer important questions. What is the best way to conserve nature? How to get all stakeholders, including landowners, on board? How can we protect livelihoods while simultaneously reclaim reclaimed land? Maybe the ultimate reclamation of reclaimed land is to give it back to its most ‘natural’ ecosystem, the sea? All these questions can be more difficult to answer than you think. However, they are well worth asking. 

Wouter Hajnal

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