Press release ILVO plants a forest and examines the agriculture-nature balance
On December 15th, 2023, ILVO started planting nearly 4,000 trees and shrubs on a total of 4.8 ha of grassland plots located in a Special Protection Area. Like all Flemish government institutions, ILVO is obliged to draw up a nature management plan for land in 'Special Protection Area' (SPA) for nature. With the deliberate planting at ILVO's research landscape in Merelbeke, ILVO makes an ecological link between two nearby nature reserves and contributes to the afforestation ambitions of the Flemish government. In the zones that will remain unforested, research will be conducted into extensive grassland management.
ILVO Administrator-general Joris Relaes: 'We will carefully document this nature development: both the administrative process and the switch to extensive grassland management are interesting, not just for us but for other farmers who have pastures in areas with nature objectives. They wonder how nature objectives can be combined in practice with their farm operations.'
Creating and implementing a nature management plan: a learning process
Of the more than 200 ha of agricultural plots on which ILVO conducts scientific agricultural trials, 4.8 ha are in a SPA. These are wet grasslands in the Gondebeek Valley in Merelbeke, located between 2 valuable forests, the Aelmoeseneiebos in Melle-Oosterzele and the Makegemse bossen in Merelbeke.
ILVO drew up the Nature Management Plan Research Kouter-Gondebeekvallei in 2023. The plan describes the management of the ILVO plots in question (total area of 5.5 ha including the 4.8 ha SPA) for the next 24 years.
ILVO chose consciously not to outsource the drafting of this nature management plan. In recent months, ILVO's own researchers, who do not have any nature specialization, went through all the steps involved in such a plan, in order to experience and evaluate the procedure experimentally. This required the necessary preparation e.g. via test samples of the soil quality, but also a very thorough knowledge of nature goals and terminology.
Elke Vanempten, ILVO spatial planning expert: 'Drawing up a nature management plan is no easy task, even if as a knowledge center you are supported by partners with nature expertise. For farmers without support this is probably impossible at the moment. Nevertheless, it is relevant for those who have land in protected nature areas to know what possibilities a nature management plan can offer. ILVO plans to pass on the experience gained to policy makers.'
Trees, a pond, a wooded edge and extensive grassland
On 3.25 ha, ILVO is creating a small forest, an amphibian pond and an extensive wooded edge, with exactly 3950 pieces of forest plantation. The remaining pasture in the SPA has - for 2 years already - not been fertilized and no crop protection has been applied. This shift from intensive to extensive grass management is being monitored for yield changes and changes in nutritional value of the grass cuts. In the search for better balances between agriculture and nature, ILVO wants to play its role by looking at the ambitions of both sectors in the (pilot) field.
Thijs Vanden Nest, ILVO grass specialist: ‘Little scientific research exists on the impact and potential of extensive grassland management for agriculture. I am thinking e.g. about the forage value and composition of this extensively managed grass or the fertility of the soil with reduced fertilization. Our observations can contribute to the right choices on pastures in natural areas.'
Cooperation within the Rodeland project: area-based operation focusing on balance between nature and agriculture
ILVO was called on the knowledge and help of several partners from the Rodeland project for the plan and for the planting campaign. (https://www.rodeland.be): For the drafting and implementation of the nature management plan 'Research Kouter-Gondebeekvallei' assistance was provided by a.o. Agentschap Natuur en Bos, the Laboratory for Forest and Nature of Ghent University, Natuurpunt Oosterzele, the local administrations of Merelbeke and Melle, Province of East Flanders and Bosgroepen Oost-Vlaanderen.
Riet Gillis, deputy for nature Province of East Flanders and chairman of Forest Groups East Flanders: ‘
Through the 'Forest information center' (Bosloket) of the Province of East Flanders, we bundle our know-how about nature and forest into customized services for other organizations. By working together in the field, we can strengthen each other with the aim of achieving more forest in our forest-poor province. East Flanders has a degree of afforestation of barely 5.5%, which is barely half of the Flemish average of 11%'.
The input of Forest Groups East Flanders in the actual planting is practice-oriented: selecting the suitable tree species for the wet soils, designing the planting plan, leading the way on the planting day. The provincial government gave a financial contribution through the Beplant-Het-Landschap grant.
ILVO is one of 20 partners committed since 2019 to build together a valuable natural and agricultural landscape in Merelbeke, Melle, among others, where ILVO's experimental fields are located. Thanks in part to the balanced relationship between agricultural and nature associations, the project succeeds in new site realizations every year. With the construction of the missing ecological corridor between 2 forest cores, ILVO carries out one of the most important commitments within the partnership and at the same time contributes to the afforestation objectives of the Flemish Government.
