Nature reserves in the vicinity of Geelbroek are considerably wetter than before. A rewetting project by the province of Drenthe has been completed after more than ten years and should ensure that the area is more resistant to the consequences of climate change. A group of farmers who have been fighting against the waterlogging of the environment for years are nevertheless still opposed to the project.
The nature reserves of the Broekstreek south of Assen have become increasingly drier in recent years. Rainwater flowed out of the area too quickly through the many ditches and the groundwater level could therefore not recover properly. Further on in the Drentsche Aa catchment area, when there was a lot of rain, too much water ended up in places that could not withstand it well.
“In the area around Geelbroek, the number of species of animals and plants has decreased due to the drought,” says forest ranger Vincent de Lenne of Staatsbosbeheer. If rainwater flows away quickly, it does not have time to absorb nutrients and minerals from the soil. Plants that need a lot of that nutrition then disappear.
De Lenne sees this especially in a number of forest areas, which actually benefit from a lot of water. “We used to have very flowery groves, with very special flora such as the cranberry, the wood anemone and the stemless primrose. Due to desiccation, all but two of those groves have disappeared and now you can still see nettles and blackberries,” says the forester. “Flowers attract insects, which are good for birds and everything is related.”
The Prolander implementation organization of the province of Drenthe has filled in or deepened many ditches in the area over the past year. Two wide rifts have been constructed that now retain the water better and ensure that it flows out of the area more slowly. “This is a so-called source area of the Drentsche Aa,” explains project leader Maurijn Oude Essink. “The water that falls here ultimately ends up in Groningen. By retaining it here longer, we also want to prevent them from having to deal with flooding in Groningen.”
In order to construct one of the rifts, Prolander relocated the Geelbroekerweg. The motorway now winds around the valley in a bend. The old road is now a sand path and has been included in a new walking route. A parking lot has also been created to make it easier for recreationists to take a detour in the area. Walkers can walk across the wet valley via a new platform.
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