It now appears that 5.2 million cubic meters of additional capacity is needed. That is why the water level is being raised in a number of parts of the area. ‘The Onlanden has become a kind of model area worldwide,’ Zwiers notes. “We actually want to keep every drop here, because otherwise we wouldn’t be able to survive in those very dry summers.”
“This area is proof that nature immediately takes space if you give it. That is fantastic. And it even surprised us how quickly and in what way it happens. We now have one of the largest populations of bitterns in the Netherlands here. , there are 33 breeding pairs. There are 165 bearded males, 1,600 reed warblers breeding there. But also white-cheeked terns, white-tailed eagles, ospreys. None of that was there when it started here.”
There are more success stories. “Look, do you know what this is? It looks like mud, but it is a spraint of an otter,” says Zwiers, as he picks through a pile of otter poop. “It’s all fish remains. He puts it down to communicate with other otters and leaves a scent flag.” The first otter was spotted in De Onlanden in 2013. “Suddenly we saw one on a wildlife camera, unbelievable. That’s a kick: It’s there, it’s there! And much faster than we expected.”
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