Managers and supervisors in nature reserves do everything they can to prevent a wildfire and are therefore extra alert these days. According to them, a fire such as in 2018, when 75 hectares of heath burned down in Wateren, should not happen again.
There is fear of a new fire in nature now that the temperature will rise above 30 degrees in the coming days. “There is a chance that it will happen again,” says Uko Vegter, head of nature and landscape of the Het Drentse Landschap Foundation. “So we have to be extra vigilant.”
Not only is there concern about a possible fire. Nature fights to survive under these temperatures, Vegter sees. According to him, heathland areas and forests are particularly affected by the drought. Every effort is therefore made to keep the areas as wet as possible. “We are looking at where we can take extra measures to retain water. We have been working on this for a long time. In the middle course of the Reestdal, for example, the stream arrows have been raised. Measurements by the water board from 2018 and 2019 show that groundwater levels are lowering as a result. So we need to do that more often.”
Nature can handle a lot, says Vegter, but if dry and warm periods last for a long time or occur often, its resilience is compromised. For example, coniferous trees in particular have a hard time in forests, notes Het Drentse Landschap. Vegter: “They can handle several of these years badly. You see Norway spruces dying, larchs are having a hard time. The trees drop their leaves as protection against drought. They are actually already going into winter rest.”
Natuurmonumenten is also concerned now that a heat wave is imminent and the drought continues to increase. Not only trees, but also animals that live in or near water, such as fish, amphibians and insects, are having a hard time now that more and more streams and pools are drying up. From all over the country, Natuurmonumenten hears stories from foresters who see certain animal species disappear as a result. Whether that is temporary is not yet known.
To help animals in need, various ‘crisis measures’ are being taken by, among others, Natuurmonumenten, water boards and volunteers. For example, fish and amphibians are taken from dried-up streams and released elsewhere. Another emergency measure is to pump up groundwater to fill streams.
The Drents Overijsselse Delta water board will raise the water levels in ditches where possible, above the maximum summer level. The water board wants to use this to build up a buffer in the stock of ground and surface water. For the time being, this mainly happens in Overijssel because it is driest there. If the drought continues, ditches in Drenthe may also be filled extra.