Life HARWIN (English)

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Introduction

A series of beautiful nature reserves are located a stone's throw from Leuven, at the transition between the sandy 'Kempen' and the 'Loam' region. Old forest complexes alternate with valuable grasslands full of gradients in humidity, soil composition and light conditions (among others), along valleys and hills. On these typical 'Diestiaan' hills (steep southwest-northeast oriented iron sandstone hills) you can find unique contrasting vegetation types, such as the warm temperate (e.g. gorse and broad-leaved wild thyme) and boreal-(sub)montane flora (e.g. common club moss and five-ranked bog-moss) less 100m apart. All this results in a high potential for nature development, especially in view of the increasingly extreme weather conditions, as animals and plants in the region can move across gradients over time.

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Beninksberg
Kevin Feytons

The existing nature, however, is highly fragmented and often lacks important species that help to uphold the robustness of these ecosystems to change. The missing species are often species that have little dispersal capacity and form little or no seed bank. As a result, we often only find them in low numbers along roadsides and in 'barbed wire' vegetation (grazed and little disturbed vegetation).

To tackle these challenges, Life HARWIN, or in full 'HAbitat Restoration in the WINge valley: ecological restoration and endangered species recovery in a fragmented landscape', was launched in 2023.

Financing

This project is financed by the Life programme of the European Commission and the governmental Agency of Nature and Forests.

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Projectpartners LIFE Harwin
Projectpartners LIFE Harwin

Project goals

The project aims at:

1. the ecological restoration and quality improvement of 350ha of species-rich habitats:

  • Grassland: restoration and quality improvement of 85 hectares of Molinia meadows (6410), hydrophilous tall herb fringe communities (6430) and oat-grass and meadow foxtail grasslands (6510).

  • Heathland: restoration and quality improvement of 30 hectares of species-rich Nardus grassland (6230*), dry heaths (4030) and wet heaths (4010).

  • Water: restoration and quality improvement of 3ha of oligo-mesotrophic waters with Chara spp. (3140), natural eutrophic waters (3150) and mesotrophic waters with Luronium natans (3150meso).

  • Swamp: restoration and quality improvement of 2.5 hectares of transition mires and quaking bogs (7140) and alkaline fens (7230).

  • Forest: restoration and quality improvement of 230ha of oak-beech forest (9120), alluvial forest (91E0*) and oak-hornbeam forest (9160).

2. science-based restoration of relict populations of key fauna and flora through translocation (reintroduction and restocking) using individuals or seeds of local genetic origin. This is to tackle the EU-wide, still largely underestimated, threat of species extinction. The project aims to restore sustainable populations of more than 20 endangered plant species (including devil's-bit scabious, betony, saw-wort, broad-leaved wild thyme, black rampion, marsh gentian, viper's-grass) and the field cricket.

3. identification of the best practices for habitat restoration and the reintroduction of species, through an innovative framework of collaboration between nature management professionals, volunteers and scientists.

4. contributing to the socio-economic potential of the area by improving opportunities for nature-oriented recreation, involving volunteers and local residents, encouraging citizen science monitoring and involving local stakeholders.

5. contributing to flood and drought resilience, through restoration of habitats and the natural hydrology, thus make the Winge Valley more climate change resilient. In addition, the project will enhance carbon sequestration through the restoration of wetlands and forests.

Project area

The project is situated in the Hageland region in the transition between the sandy lowlands and the hilly loamy area. Characteristic are the parallel steep-sloped southwest-northeast oriented hills that are a result of sandbanks in a shallow iron-rich Miocene sea. After regression 9 mi years ago, iron-rich swamps formed between the sandy ridges. Following a continued drop of the sea level, the iron-rich swamps dried out and transformed into erosion-resistant iron-sandstone that comprise the current hills. In between, erosion carved out valleys, such as valley of the Winge and the Motte in the project area. In this region, sandy tertiary soil formations carry mineral-rich aquifers that form the springs of the Winge. The Motte originates in a large mire area in the center of the project area. In the narrow valley in the upper part of the Winge, the soil consists of loam with local peat deposits. The broader valleys of the Motte and more downstream Winge river , consist of clay or loamy alluvial soils in mosaic with postglacial sandy river dunes. Also the peat zones are more extensive in size due to the broad valley. Most hills, consist of a transition from colluvial sand and/or loam at the bottom, abruptly followed by steep slopes and a plateau consisting of shallow sandy soils on iron-sandstone and tertiary clay deposits. These clay deposits of glauconite cause highly localized aquifers to built up and thus generate temporary springs on the otherwise dry hills. Due to the unique southwest–northeast orientation, there is a distinct microclimate on the southern versus the northern slopes, generating unique contrasts in warm temperate (e.g. Ulex europaeus and Thymus pulegioides) and boreal-(sub)montane oriented flora (e.g. Oreopteris limbosperma, Lycopodium clavatum and Sphagnum quinquefarium) within less than 100m.

Owing to these unique geological and hydrological characteristics, the project area shows exceptional combinations of biodiverse habitats. The region was already historically renowned for its biodiversity, reflected in botanical surveys of the late 19th and 20th century and a detailed vegetation map in 1956.

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Projectgebied LIFE Harwin
LIFE Harwin

The project comprises the following areas of Natuurpunt:

and of the Agency of Nature and Forests:

Species (for translocation)

Species name

English

Anacamptis morio green-winged orchid
Antennaria dioica mountain everlasting
Campanula rotundifolia harebell
Clinopodium vulgare wild basil
Comarum palustre marsh cinquefoil
Gentiana pneumonanthe marsh gentian
Hieracium lactucella european hawkweed
Leontodon hispidus rough hawkbit
Menyanthes trifoliate bog bean
Parnassia vulgare Parnassia or marsh-grass-of-parnassus
Phyteuma nigrum black rampion
Pimpinella saxifraga burnet-saxifrage
Scorzenera humilis viper's-grass
Selinum carvifolia cambridge milk parsley
Serratula tinctoria saw-wort
Stachys officinalis betony
Succisa pratensis devil's-bit scabious
Thymus pulegioides broad-leaved wild thyme
Thymus serpyllum wild thyme
Valeriana dioica marsh valerian

Contact

projectcoordinator:

Dennis De Ryck
[email protected]
0499-90 97 63