Field trip for International Nature Conservation Law

Yesterday we had a field trip to a Flemish nature reserve, between Gent and Brugge. It's called Warandeputten. The weather has been FABULOUS - 26ºC, blue skies and not a cloud in sight all week! There are people out sunbathing and shirtless and playing volleyball all that summer stuff.

Anyway, the trip. Glad I had the sunscreen, there are a few pink students around today! :) The reserve is a semi-natural area (ie has to be maintained in some way by humans or the species currently living there wouldn't survive - the area would naturally be covered in forest... so is mown yearly to allow scrub and meadows, along with insect species and birds etc to remain). It is a Natura2000 area (protected by European and International Law). This particular area was destroyed when the canals were widened and the sludge that came out had to be put somewhere - in a heap over the last remaining arms of the River Scheldt that has passed through the area unchanged for centuries (at least 800 yr). Then they decided to turn it into a dump for raw sewage, goodie! So you when see the photos below, you will appreciate the improvement!!

This was taken from a bird-watching hut. They cleaned it up and allowed it to develop into a wetland area (as it was when the Scheldt ran through), with some sand banks and stuff so that birds (especially Kingfishers, Mum) would nest. Got to see the Kingfishers out and about, even fishing in the water! Dunk'n'dive!! The Flemish are really proud of this reserve, there were lots of little kids from a nearby school running around looking for insects, and lots of people walk and watch birds there. All maintained by volunteers. Lots of great bike tracks too, we should go for a ride there Mish!

This meadow was covered by 1.5m of poo, which they had to remove. Now it has these amazing purple wild orchids growing (which you can't see very well, but just take my word for it).


The brown-looking oxygen-type weed stuff is CARNIVOROUS!! Yeah, that's right you heard me. It's got these neat little bubbles (like a string of pearls sorta thing) which burst on contact with living things and then suck in, digest and absorb their prey. Orrrrrsome.


This is the canal where some of the sludge came from. It has been widened to allow really quite large boats to pass through (bringing freight from the port at Oostende). You can see the bridge that moves to allow ships through! (see the sign - automatische brug - always improving the Dutch eh!). And now you all know a little bit more about Flanders :)


These are some of the girls in my class (2 are Belgian, the rest exchange students). The sun was really bright, so that's why I look like a munter ok!