Case Study: Participation of private landowners to the ecological restoration of the Pond area Midden-Limburg through a close participation of private and public landowners and a triple E- approach in the 3watEr project.

Summary

10 private landowners set up a specific association OVML vzw (Ontwikkeling Vijvergebied Midden-Limburg vzw) for participating together to a Life+ project (3watEr project) and ensuring collective implementation on the basis of voluntary agreements by private parties and an integrated management plan.

Objectives

The Triple E Pond area M-L project aimed to conserve or restore the following species and habitats of Community importance in the Natura 2000 network site ‘Vijvergebied Midden-Limburg’ (‘Pond area M-L’): bittern (Botaurus stellaris); tree frog (Hyla arborea); ‘Oligotrophic waters…’ (3120), ‘Oligotrophic to mesotrophic standing waters…’ (3130), ‘Northern Atlantic wet heaths with Erica tetralix’ (4010) and European dry heaths (4030). The project aimed to secure the ongoing participation of private landowners and other stakeholders in habitat management, to establish a sustainable basis for the conservation of species and habitats by enhancing synergies between Ecology, Education and the local Economy (“triple E-approach”), to enhance public awareness of Natura 2000 and to demonstrate best practices for involving private landowners as partners in the management of Natura 2000 sites. Private contracts for implementation of the LIFE project; integrated nature management plan for the implementation of the nature management goals.

Public Goods

Recreational access /
improvements to physical
and mental health
Landscape and scenery
(Farmland) biodiversity
(Farmland) biodiversity
3watEr project.

Problem description

Private landowners were not structured to realize nature management projects, as this until 2014 was rather a monopoly of nature NGO’s in Flanders. As in the Midden-Limburg area, private landownership was crucial to realizing specific nature management objectives, 10 local landowners took the initiative to start a Life+ project with other stakeholders. For doing so they created a private association (OVML vzw) assuming a common partnership in the Life+ project as associated beneficiary of the project. Private contracts were signed between OVML vzw and each of the 10 landowners for the further implementation of the LIFE project, also through an integrated nature management plan.

Please follow and like us:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *