According to De Clerck, there are plenty of places to place the solar panels. “There are plenty of other parking lots on the other side, where trees do not have to be cut down. Or the panels can be placed on roofs. We are certainly in favor of green energy and solar panels, but not in this way.”
Cutting down the trees would also have consequences for various animals. “Many bats and buzzards come here. These animals will lose part of their habitat,” says De Clerck.
Bellewaerde itself wants to compensate for the felling of trees by planting a piece of forest in Heuvelland. “We are not legally obliged to do this because the trees involved do not form a forest,” it said.