Ardennes, Belgium

In 1993 and 1995 a number of cities in the Netherlands, Belgium and France experienced catastrophic floods. Damages in the Netherlands alone amounted to €250 million. One of the causes of the floods can be found in Belgium, in the tranquil Ardennes Mountains. For centuries people in this area have farmed on the slopes, while the banks of the rivers and streams were flanked by marshland. When it rained, they absorbed much of the water running down the slopes, stopping all the water from entering the river at once. During periods of low rainfall, they released their stores of water, thereby regulating the flow of the river throughout the year.

With the intensification of farming in the 20th century however, the wetlands were drained to create more room for grazing and crops. No longer slowed by the natural barrier of the marshes, most of the rain that falls in the catchment area now enters the river within a matter of hours. These floodwaters then race downstream, combining with water from other rivers, before hitting the downstream communities in Belgium and the Netherlands just 24 hours after the initial storm over the Ardennes.

Natural Sponges
Now, a project run by WWF Belgium and various national and local environmental organisations is trying to change that. They have identified key plots of land in the area which, if converted back into wetlands, could act again as natural sponges, increasing the water retention capacity of the land, absorbing the rainwater and slowing down the velocity of rainwater-runoff before it flows into the rivers and streams. Many of the plots of land are of a low quality and so are no longer being used. WWF Belgium and its partners are working to convince the owners of the land to transform these parcels of land back into wetlands, so that they can again help to hold back the floodwaters.

Payments for Environmental Services
It is hoped that initial funding for the farmers to implement the scheme will come from the Common Agricultural Policy’s Rural Development fund, which supports the implementation of key EU water and nature protection legislation.

Further contributions could also come from some of the other stakeholders based downstream along the River Meuse, which will benefit from a more stable flow of water in the river. These include power stations, which need the water for use in their cooling towers, and drinking water companies. The Ardennes region is popular with kayakers and canoeists, and the ability of the navigation and recreation sectors to operate effectively is currently compromised when the river is low. With natural sponges regulating the flow, these situations would become rarer.

Finally, there are of course the Belgian and Dutch towns which have suffered so often as a result of the floods. Together with its partners, WWF Belgium is facilitating discussions with the relevant authorities to negotiate how the farmers’ restoration of the wetlands can best be rewarded by the downstream communities which benefit from their work.