Cars, motorcycles, trucks and other motor vehicles are not allowed to drive on a road through the Fochteloërveen nature reserve for two years. The road will be closed to protect the vulnerable nature. From November 1, only pedestrians, cyclists, moped riders, emergency services and people with an exemption will be allowed to cross the road, the municipality of Ooststellingwerf reported today.
This concerns a stretch of road of more than a kilometer between the Bonghaar car park and a former work shed of Natuurmonumenten. The road is located north of Appelscha, on the border with Drenthe.
According to the municipality of Ooststellingwerf, the road is bad for nature and the water in the Fochteloërveen. “On either side of the road are important habitats for rare plant and animal species such as cranes, snakes, frogs and toads. The road is literally an obstacle for nature.”
Last year the same road was closed for a few days because reptiles and amphibians crossed the road en masse. About fifty snakes were killed in a few days, the municipality reported at the time.