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Excursions 11 July 2007
On Wednesday 11 July 2007 there are excursions to sites where
landscape ecological principles are applied in practice. These excursions are
integrated part of the congress. At present the destinations below have been
prepared. It is possible that more excursions will be added as we want to go on
excursions in groups of 50 persons (one bus for each destination). Participants
are asked to give a preliminary destination. This allows us to be prepared for
all your preferences and eventually add popular destinations if needed. Web
links will be added later.
On Friday and the following days some post conference
excursions are being organised.
Excursions accompanying persons
For registered partners we made arrangements on Tuesday for a
tour to the Kröller Müller Museum
and Open Air Museum
in Arnhem The bus is leaving from CineMec at 9.30 hrs. Children welcome!
Lunch included.
Conference excursions
- Biesbosch, Room for the River project:
Facing increase in river discharge due to climate change (project ongoing).
Biesbosch is larger wetland where Rhine and Meuse meet. Land is being
changed from agricultural into nature and river/water storage.
- Nature
and van Gogh (Hoge Veluwe and Kröller Müller Museum):
Heathlands, shifting dunes and the Museum Kröller Müller with
impressionistic art (van Gogh), sculpture garden and Hunting house.
- Tiengemeten and Delta Works:
The Delta Works have been made to protect the Netherlands against
the sea. This protection had ecological consequences that were only partly
foreseen. At present ecological restoration works take place. The Excursion
starts at the Haringvliet sluices in the visitor centre where an explanation
will be given on the Delta works and its ecological long term impact. Then,
probably by boat the group will be brought to the island of Tiengemeten that
is being changed from Agricultural land use into nature. The island has just
been fitted for its new function and the excursion will here take place by
walking A walk will be made in the central part of the island. Timing is
depending on the ferry schedule (every full hour)
- Veluwezoom:
Large forest with grazing project and ecological connectivity through
infrastructure mitigation
- Oostvaardersplassen:
The youngest city of the Netherlands is developed in the youngest
Dutch polder. The concept of the new town surrounded by nature and with
close links with Amsterdam. In the Oostvaardersplassen nature development
project are ongoing where for the first time Heck cattle, Konik horses and
red deer were introduced. Nesting site of Sea eagle in 2006. This excursion
is organized by the city of Almere.
- Road Ecology
An important part for a successful establishment of the National Ecological
Network (NEN) in the Netherlands and the development of robust corridors is
to stop the fragmentation – e.g. by transport corridors - of natural areas.
One of the measures to counteract fragmentation is the construction of
wildlife passages (e.g. ‘ecoducts’, wildlife tunnels) across roads and
railroads. The use of these passages is known and measured. However the
impact on populations is difficult to measure. Currently monitoring actions
are being prepared to measure impacts on population viability as well as
experiments to measure the effects human co-use of wildlife passages will
have for the ecological functioning of these crossing structures.
The road ecology tour will visit a number of mitigation measures, such as
badger tunnels, eco-culverts and wildlife overpasses along a new stretch of
highway A50 in the Netherlands and time will be used to discuss their
function and their role in mitigating fragmentation. Stops will also be made
at locations where loss of habitat due to highway construction is
compensated for by habitat restoration on former agricultural land. The tour
will end at a special site where a wildlife overpass has been made suitable
for amphibians by the construction of a wetland zone on top. The results of
monitoring actions on this overpass will be presented and discussed.
- New and old Pleistocene Landscapes
in the Netherlands, Twente:
Eschmarke (municipality
Enschede)
Eschmarke is a practical example of compensating and mitigating measures for
the realisation of Motorway 35 en de Easter road and of the construction of
an ecological corridor in urban area. Eschmarke is situated on the eastern
side of the ice-pushed ridge of eastern Twente. It is characterised by
dispersed farms, forest fragments and moorland. There are many wooded banks
hedgerows and ponds and the fauna is characterised by species such as tree
frog, great crested newt and badger and roe deer.
The disturbance by the roads has been compensated and mitigated by exchange
of land, relocation of farms, reconstruction of small wetlands and aquatic
biotopes, new hedgerows, badger tunnels. The landscape elements are owned
and managed by the farmers. Management is according to an agreed management
plan base don the traditions of the “Marke” system. A special Foundation has
been established for this, the Eschmarke that now exists for 15 years and
functions well. The local people are proud on their own region. The urban
dwellers get to know their environment though excursions by the farmers. The
plan is financed by the Ministry of Transport and Water Management and the
municipality of Enschede
Linked to the Eschmarke an ecological corridor is being realised through the
new urban area of Enschede (30 ha.). The Ecological corridor links the
nature of north-eastern Twente through the Eschmarke with nature in
south-eastern Twente. Without this corridor urban development would have
formed an inaccessible barrier in the zone Enschede (NL) - Gronau (D). This
corridor has been realised in an interactive process between municipality
national authorities, regional authorities and the (future) inhabitants of
the area. Plans have been made 5 years ago and are being carried out now.
Ampsen Estate (municipality Lochem)
About 20% of the National Ecological Network (NEN) is occupied by private
estates. Good partnership between authorities and land owners is of crucial
importance for its management. This is done by the Ministry of ANF by
including the land owners in the realisation of the NEN through contracts,
mutual exchange of knowledge and adaptation of legislation and management
rules to specific situations of the estates.
The estate Ampsen, founded in 1302, is one of the estates that functions as
a reliable partner in the realisation o the NEN. The estate measures 675 ha.
The estate Ampsen consists of an historic house and other buildings, 425 ha
forest and 250 ha Agricultural land with farms. The main source of income is
from the rent of Agricultural land.
The “Breakthrough”
The “Doorbraak” or literally translated the “Breakthrough” is a new water
course of 13 km long in combination with an ecological corridor. The
“Breakthrough” links the relatively clean stream of Twente (Loolee and
Azelerbeek) with the small river Regge. Through Construction of the linkage
the risk of inundation of Agricultural land in Twente diminished, the
discharge of the Regge increased This aquatic linkage is combined with and
ecological corridor between nature areas east and west of the town Almelo
and a green corridor through the urban zone of Twente. The Breakthrough is
characterised by three features: breaking through the ground moraine that
also is a catchment boundary and that gave the project its name, the
crossing of Motorway 35 and the crossing of the Twente canal. The
realisation has been started in 2004 and the period of work is estimated at
10 years. The Breakthrough is included by the water board of Regge en Dinkel
in a JAF project (Joint Approach for Managing Flooding) in cooperation with
Somerset County Council, Wasserverband Eifel-Ruhr and the water boards of
Groot Salland and Velt en Vecht. Objectives of JAF projects is development
of measures and actions to improve water discharge and safety though
multifunctional land use, restoration of natural River beds, new techniques
and strategies and involvement of people.
This Excursion is organised by the Ministry of Agriculture Nature and Food
Quality (ANF), Directorate east.
- North Holland dunes:
They deliver drinking water for Amsterdam; in the area water purification
functions are combined with nature and its restoration. Main topics during
the excursion: Natural aspects of the coastal dunes, the restoration
project, nature management, drinking water catchment, sea defence. This
excursion is organised by the Amsterdam Dune Water Company.
- Millingerwaard:
nature restoration at the apex of the river Rhine delta (nature
redevelopment project ongoing)
- Wieden
and Weerribben:
Lowland peat areas; historical cultural lowland peat landscapes, nature and
long term maintenance, tour in boats.
- Beerze-Aa brook systems
and the historical situation around and in the city of Den Bosch (urban
canal system)
- Wageningen tour on bicycle:
The meeting of holocene and pleistocene landscapes, construction of
nature corridor from the forests of the Veluwe to the river Rhine, monuments
(second world war), organic farming, the Wageningen vineyard bicycles).
- Veluwe
This excursion shows the work done on the southern Veluwe region the
largest natural area in northwesten Europe. The excursion shows nature
restoration, defragmentation in practice and habitat improvement, including
the removal of industrial plants and agricultural land. One of the ecoducts
over the motorway A50 will be visited as well as the restoration of linkages
between the forests of the Veluwe and the floodplains of the river Rhine.
This excursion is organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food
quality in cooperation with the Province of Gelderland and the Dutch Society
for Nature Conservation.
- Urban
ecology workshop (at Alterra) with post conference excursion to Amsterdam
- Dutch
waterlinie:
The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie was a military line of
defence that extended from the former Zuiderzee near Muiden to the
Biesbosch. The line was established as a protective ring approximately 85 km
long and 3–5 km wide around the Dutch towns of Muiden, Utrecht, Vreeswijk
and Gorinchem. The Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie’s primary element of defence
was water. This was based on an ingenious water management system comprising
sluices, flood canals, and existing waterways and dikes. A seemingly shallow
layer of water, about 40 cm deep, was enough to make the land treacherous
and difficult to pass for soldiers, vehicles and horses. At the same time,
it was too shallow to navigate by ship. Weak points along the natural
defence line were strengthened with forts, bunkers and group shelters. In
addition, the line included five fortified cities. To show how cultural
history can be interwoven with spatial design, the government has launched
the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie as a National Project. This National Project
is an national project in which five ministries work together with provinces,
municipalities, water boards, civic organizations, landowners, private
parties and citizens. The goal is to preserve and develop the Nieuwe
Hollandse Waterlinie for the future. In this excursion you will visit the
two biggest fortresses of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie which both have a
different meaning; ecologic and public. The possibilities in this defense
line will be discussed with you, while you can enjoy the beautiful military
landscape by boat and foot.
- Excursion Drentse Aa and Hunzedal (2 busses)
Under the name "Drentse Aa" consists of a complex of brooks on the North
side of the Drente plateau. Geologically the river basin is interesting by
because several brooks cross northwest-southeast situated lower hills. It is
an old cultural landscape with villages, agricultural fields, meadows and
former heathlands that have partly been developed into agricultural land.
The area is rich in flora and diverse. In 1965, for this area a vision has
been made with the aim to protect the Aa with its ecological and
historic-cultural valuable environment. Thanks to strictly spatial planning
policy large parts of the area are still in their historical condition.
Explanation will be given how choices are made between on the one hand
conserving the culture landscape and on the other side creating new chances
for development of nature values. During a walk by the area it is possible
to experience the results.
The major east-west ridge in Drente is the Hondsrug. Between Hondsrug and
the Drents-Groningen Peat development area (peat colonies) a large valley is
situated of the Hunze stream. In the 19th century this river has been
canalised (Oostermoerse Vaart). Its function as shipping route has since
long disappeared, only recreational use remains. In the beginning of the
1990s plans have been made to restore the natural character of the Hunze by
restoration of former meanders and inundation of some parts of the adjacent
land with as objectives water storage, water recreation and nature
restoration. The plans are now in the implementation phase During the
excursion an explanation will be given on the plans and its realisation a
walk will be made along one of the restored marshes.
NB: for this excursion Wellington boots or waterproof shoes are required.
This excursion is organised by the Province of Drente
Post conference excursions:
-
“Heathland, a European cultural
landscape and common heritage”. Excursion to N & E Belgium
CANCELLED
-
Amsterdam Urban Ecology
Programme: (in cooperation with the Municipality of Amsterdam)
Amsterdam, being the capital of the Netherlands, offers a wide range of
urban biotopes. From semi-natural forest and meadowlands at the city’s edge
up to vegetated walls and roof nature in the city’s centre. These biotopes
are inhabited by more than 150 breeding birds species, 34 mammal species and
countless plant, fish and invertebrate species. A well-known example of
Amsterdam's biodiversity, the Grass snake, forages along the dikes,
railroads and ditches at several suburbs of the town.
In a tour across the city, local ecologists will show us the wide variety of
urban biotopes. Special attention will be paid to the measures the city of
Amsterdam takes to maintain its high biodiversity. The tour will start at
one of those peri-urban green areas, that – as green fingers – stretch out
to the city’s centre. Following these green areas we slowly will enter the
city. Stops will be made at locations where specific biotopes occur.
Depending on weather and local conditions we will be able to see some of the
wildlife. Lunch will be taken during a long stop near the city centre, where
we will walk through some green neighbourhoods. After lunch we will visit
the lakeside of the city, with a large new urban development that includes
specific nature conservation measures. Here coastal and pioneer species like
Terns and Natterjack toads find their urban habitat. Finally, at about 17.00
we will leave city and arrive in Ede around 18.00.
Minimum number of participants: 15
Maximum number of participants: 45
Start tour: 09.00 (Ede)
End tour: approx. 18.00 (Ede)
NB: Possibility to leave the tour in Amsterdam and travel directly to
Schiphol Amsterdam Airport.
Price (including lunch): about € 60 (NOT included in congress fee, to be
paid at the day itself!)
Organisers: Robbert Snep, Alterra, Wageningen UR
Johan van Zoest, Municipality of Amsterdam.
-
Waddensea
Under construction
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Landscapes for LIFE
CANCELLED
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