Fill up the blue heart of Drenthe. That is one of the calls from Drenthe nature and environmental organizations to the Drenthe administrators. What does that mean and what should it look like? According to these organisations, the De Mandelanden nature reserve is an example worth following.
“Water is the basis of everything,” says Uko Vegter of the Het Drentse Landschap foundation. “If we have a shortage of water, as in the past four dry summers, then nature and agriculture suffer and it is difficult in terms of water extraction. We have to get started with having and keeping enough water .” Vegter emphasizes the urgency of this. “We need to look at water management in Drenthe in a fundamentally different way and take measures for the entire province to retain water. Not only in nature reserves, but also in urban and agricultural areas.”
Ten years ago, the Mandelanden area south of Borger was redesigned to retain water for longer. Farmland has turned into swamp and currently a total of about 120 hectares is soaking wet. Last summer, when it was extremely dry, it was still wet here and suitable enough for many animals and plants. Birds that love swampy areas now know where to find the Mandelanden: the egret, the water rail and the bluethroat. It is one of the few places where the large buttercup grows. Meanwhile, the orchid-rich sparse land returns.