Since May 2022, the ‘Protected Areas’ project has safeguarded 2,700 additional hectares of natural spaces in Wallonia.
The initiative, aimed at expanding Wallonia’s network of protected areas, is part of the Walloon Recovery Plan and the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience. Its results were unveiled on Sunday morning in Rochefort, Namur province, as the project nears its conclusion at the end of the month.
Nine nature conservation organisations collaborated on the project to meet European targets of protecting 10% of natural areas. According to project coordinator Nora Scieur, protected areas are nature reserves under Wallonia’s strongest conservation status.
Efforts focused on three key areas: increasing protected natural spaces, restoring threatened habitats, and improving public accessibility. “We succeeded in safeguarding an additional 1,130 hectares, raising the total number of created or expanded reserves to 165,” said Scieur.
Additionally, actions like grazing, pond creation, controlling invasive species, and forest management enabled the restoration of 340 hectares of endangered habitats. Another 1,220 hectares were enhanced for public access. “We have exceeded our goals, originally set at 1,930 hectares of protected areas, reaching nearly 2,700 hectares,” Scieur added.
The project received a budget allocation of €22 million.
