Yesterday at 8:30 PM • Edited yesterday at 9:55 PM
Staatsbosbeheer is concerned about the shortage of green boas in Brabant nature reserves. While waste dumps, drug waste and recreational pressure are increasing, according to the organization there is not enough money to deploy enough supervisors. The work also becomes more difficult due to aggression and the risks of the criminal circuit.
That supervision is desperately needed is evident on a sunny day in the Biesbosch. The sun shines on the water. Boats, canoes and SUP boards sail by everywhere and people are sunbathing and jumping in the water. For many visitors it is a perfect day in nature. For Floris and Robin, green boas from Staatsbosbeheer, it is mainly a day when they are short of eyes.
They sail quietly through the area with their motorboat. Then they see a rental boat moored deep in the reed bed. On board, people enjoy the sun and take a dip in the water. “We didn’t know we weren’t allowed to be so close to the shore,” they say. “We just thought it was a nice spot.”
Robin remains friendly, but clear. Whether they want to keep the boat a meter or two from the reeds. “If everyone sails into this, at some point you will have a flat surface,” he explains. Birds breed in those reeds. And it is breeding season, the most vulnerable time of the year.
According to Staatsbosbeheer, supervision in nature reserves is increasingly necessary. Not only due to increasing recreational pressure, but also due to waste dumping, drug waste and people who do not care about the rules. Recently, motocross riders tore through the Brabantse Wal nature reserve in the middle of the breeding season. An entire bathroom was also recently dumped in nature.
In the Biesbosch on this sunny day it is mainly about crowds on the water. A small, fast motorboat passes by. The boas speak to the driver. Does he know how fast he is allowed here? Nine kilometers per hour, they tell him. Not only for the safety of swimmers and other water sports enthusiasts, but also for the banks. High waves can cause the nests of breeding birds to disappear.
“You can enjoy nature without causing damage.”
“We are actually the referee,” says Robin. “There are thousands of people here who want to enjoy the area. That is allowed, but it must be done in a way that does not cause damage.”
Still, it’s a problem. While the pressure on nature reserves is increasing, according to Staatsbosbeheer there is insufficient money to deploy sufficient green boas. The task is big: protect nature, guide recreation and sometimes also take action against people with the wrong intentions. The latter does not always make the work attractive. Boas are increasingly confronted with aggression and sometimes with the criminal circuit.
“It’s a dream job,” says Robin, looking out over the water. “But at the bottom line, the quality of nature reserves is detrimental if there are not enough people to ensure that they are used properly.”
