The National Park Fund is growing, also thanks to you, and we are happy about that. All donors to the fund get to choose what their contribution is used for. Whether it is hikers sponsoring a bench, travel organisations, accommodation providers, or companies supporting us with a donation, a team-building activity or investment in our nature.
Every quarter, we add new nature projects to the list below, and as a donor, you get to choose which project you sponsor. We guide you in this, and provide communication tools such as texts, images, logos and so on. This way, you can inform your community about the nature project you support.
Restoring alder thickets in Abeek Valley Nature Reserve.
The source area of the Abeek Valley is included in Habitat Directive area B2200030 because of present and potential natural values. In the distant past, this brook valley was mainly used to build weekend cottages including an excavated fishpond. With the released soil, dykes were raised all around and this area lost its natural sponge effect and carbon buffer. The aim is to reactivate this sponge effect and carbon buffer and create a suitable starting situation for a number of rare habitat types. The current situation is not habitat-worthy because of dilapidated, anthropogenic elements.
Photo: Marleen Massonnet
Save Zutendaal's valleys and woodlands
In recent years, we have been strongly committed to purchasing plots of land in the territory of the municipality of Zutendaal. We are trying to continue this story. Especially in the wet valleys, we try to work towards a contiguous nature area with a lot of potential for wet nature. But also around the valleys we are working towards a buffer area that allows for a transition of vegetation types. After purchase, holiday homes and other constructions are often removed and the plot is given back to nature. Acquisition is the first step to enable large-scale nature restoration in a valley.
Photo: IOE
Flat Lindenberg as connection and base for smooth snake, nightjar and woodlark
To maintain the smooth snake population, we want to keep this dry heath open by annual seasonal grazing with sheep. For this, we want to install a permanent sheep grid. At the same time, we want to take this opportunity to restore the part of the forested heathland under a high voltage, thus expanding the habitat of local populations. Poor management by the previous owner under the high voltage, led to it becoming overgrown with sprouting stumps of American Bird Cherry. The aim of the project is to expand the existing population of smooth snake and create suitable habitat for both nightjar and woodlark.
Photo: Erwin Christis
Bird sightings Munster forest
Our Munsterbos bird working group has been doing counting and ringing work for +/- 10 years. To this end, 200 nest boxes are hung in the different biotopes of the reserve. The data from these counts are used to adjust management in the area to the populations. In the past 10 years, the volunteers made and/or financed the nest boxes themselves. Meanwhile, as the area is growing, we have our hands full with other tasks, and it is important to provide decent nest boxes.
The average price of a decent nest box nowadays is 25€. We are looking for additional resources for this.
Photo: Ward cielen
Platform/tower for bird watching
To allow walkers and nature lovers to fully enjoy the avifauna in the rich nature of the pond cascade in the Hoefaert (Bilzen), we would like to increase the visual observations by means of an observation platform/tower.
Photo: Orchis
Hiker's huts National Park Trail
The National Park Trail is a long-distance walk of 110km along the highlights of the Hoge Kempen National Park, and is among the 25 most beautiful walks in Europe. To provide the hikers and runners who cover this trail with more comfort, we are currently building 2 hiker's huts in the area near the former station of Eisden. These two hiker's huts can accommodate 2 x 4 guests, and have sanitary facilities and a basic kitchen. Located at the end of stage 2, the hiker's huts offer sports enthusiasts an ideal place to sleep on their adventure tour.
We are still looking for a residual budget to finish the hiker's huts. Of course, the name of the donor will be mentioned on the hiker's huts, so this is also nice promotion to the hundreds of cyclists, walkers and runners who pass by here every day. And of course, the overnight visitors themselves will be very happy with your contribution allowing them to enjoy a comfortable night in a hiker's hut sponsored by you.
Photo: RLKM
Climate forest in the Bosbeek Valley
The Bosbeek valley is little buffered from the built-up ribbons on the flanks of the valley. Therefore, together with Natuurpunt, we opt for a forest expansion for those plots (and depending on the ecological desirability) for general forest expansion. It concerns a 1.5-hectare plot near Opglabbeek (Oudsbergen).
Photo: Natuurpunt
Bat research
Knowledge about the occurrence of bats in the Hoge Kempen is underdeveloped. The installation of more than 200 bat boxes in a variety of locations, and their annual monitoring, will fill an important gap in knowledge and allow management to be better tailored to the needs of observed species.
Photo: Vilda
Observation kiosk
To highlight the importance of the National Park for biodiversity to the general public, we plan to install two interactive kiosks in the visitor centres at Terhills and Lieteberg. Visitors can see in real time where which species were observed in the National Park (via a link with ‘waarnemingen.be).
Photo: waarnemingen.be
Wheelchair pullers
A pilot project is being set up with the municipality of Maasmechelen in which the municipality is purchasing 2 wheelchair pullers and adapted wheelchairs to give wheelchair users (people moving by wheelchair) better access to nature (more info on wheelchair pullers). The National Park is responsible for site signage, training, supervision, evaluation, operation,... and scaling up to the other gates to the National Park to make our areas more wheelchair-friendly. The requested funding to the NPF is necessary for this framing.
Photo: Mine Dalemans
Which project do you support?
Get in touch for more info. We are happy to help you get started investing in these valuable nature (projects). We help you in sustainability marketing, and provide you with info, photos, videos and updates so you can communicate to your (customer) target group how you as a brand invest in local nature, and how you contribute to the European SDGs (sustainable development goals).
