2023-08-20 06:02:42
Created to protect nature, the park is defined as an arch for biodiversity. Managers want to avoid the Durbuy effect at all costs.
The appointment is fixed at the old tannery, a gigantic building in ruins located at the exit of the small village of Dourbes, in the Couvinoise region. We are barely half an hour from Charleroi and yet time seems to stand still. Birds frolic along the Viroin which punctuates the day. Bought by the Flemish cooperative Stadsmakersfonds in 2022 to provide accommodation for walkers, after renovation, the tannery site will be one of the 5 gateways to the future Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse National Parkone of the two national parks selected by the Walloon Region, along with that of the Semois.
“We will have to channel the flow of visitors, and if necessary set limits. Our desire is above all to protect nature.”
Like the Aquascope in Virelles or the brasserie in Momignies, these doors, spread over all the 22.000 hectares du parc nationalwill play a key role in the management of the flow of tourists and in this desire, displayed by the managers of the Park and the municipal authorities, to avoid the problems experienced by certain places with high influx such as Durbuy.
“We clearly saw this during the covid period. The Fondry des Chiens site was invaded by walkers, even though the place is a natural area. It will be necessary to channel the flow of visitors and, if necessary, set limits. Our desire is above all to protect nature“, insists Thibaut Goret, in charge of the nature project of the national park.
The return of the pastoral tradition
The sun is out this morning. An ideal weather to do a little climbing and contemplate the extent of the natural park from the top of the locality Rock in Lomme. Some will tell you that the name of the site comes from the romantic story of a man (Roche à l’Homme), a shepherd, who died in a fall that occurred while trying to save a lost sheep in its rocky escarpments. Others favor the presence of a Roman fortress, in an attempt to give meaning to this place.
On the trail, it goes up, fast and strong, but barely fifteen minutes later, after crossing a forest, you can already see the top of the ridge, in the heart of the Calestienne region. The view is impressive. To the north, where the white water flows, looms Famenne with its flat landscapes. To the south, points the Ardennes. It is a completely different landscape made up of forests and rolling curves.
On the hillsides from which you stand to contemplate the view, the soil composed of limestone gave its name to the Calestienne. The specialists describe there an exceptional biotope composed of wild orchids, thyme, oregano.
“We are really in a biodiversity hotspot. But this limestone lawn requires special maintenance so that it does not disappear under the forest. One of the national park’s projects is to integrate 500 sheep’s heads here. We are going to hire two shepherds. And throughout the year, from spring to autumn, a transhumance will cross the Calestienne to maintain the places. the return of the pastoral tradition“, assures Martin Collette, communication manager at the park.
“We are going to hire two shepherds. And throughout the year, from spring to autumn, a transhumance will crisscross the Calestienne to maintain the premises.”
Below, along the Viroin, you can make out the route of the steam train that connects Mariembourg to Treignes. “It’s a tourist train, but some locals use it to get around.”
The largest integral reserve in Belgium
Another place, another landscape. Direction the Chemin de la baraque du Roquet, in the woods of Viroinval. Here, we set foot in the Ardennes. Facing us, 500 hectares of forest which will form the largest integral biological reserve in Belgium. “The concept is not to touch anything. We don’t maintain the forest, we let the trees die naturally. This is of enormous interest for biodiversity. To be honest, we don’t know what will happen to the evolution of the forest. Here, the idea is to let nature rest. Access to the paths will not be prohibited, but we do not intend to attract people.
© Valentin Bianchi
Within a few years, the loup should make a comeback in these woods, just like the lynx that we have already seen on the other side of the nearby French border.
“A tree that goes down will create a hole. And if a predator like the wolf arrives, game will no longer graze in the undergrowth and in open areas. This change in animal behavior will allow the return of certain plants. In the end, there will be more species and an adaptation of some to the climate“, explains Martin Collette. But between now and the great return of the predator, game management will be ensured by hunting, which will remain permitted throughout the national park.
United by the park, the region of Calestienne, Famenne and its landscapes of plains interspersed with wild hedgerows, its birds and bacteria, and the Ardennes are home to 87% of Walloon biodiversity over 22,000 hectares.
Forest services will be remunerated
Behind these postcard landscapes, the creation of a national park of such magnitude has need for agility, especially when discussing with public owners who own 15,000 hectares of forest from which they draw part of their municipal income, and private actors who have 1,000 hectares of land.
There was also settling the delicate issue of hunting. It will not be prohibited, but feeding will be stopped in areas of forest left to evolve freely. “In 2021, when the project was launched by Minister Céline Tellier (Minister of the Environment, Ecolo), we all saw an opportunity for our region which is one of the poorest in Belgium.. This natural heritage is a lever for the development of tourism”, explains Thibaut Goret, in charge of the nature project of the national park.
In addition to the 5 municipalities of Chimay, Couvin, Viroinval, Momignies and Froidchapelle, there are actors such as the Cercles naturalistes de Belgique, Natagora, Virelle nature or the Chimay-Wartoise foundation . “But it was never our intention to impose anything on the owners. They joined the project. And it is clear: tourism must be at the service of the protection of the natural heritage.”
To make up for the shortfall that could affect certain municipalities that live from logging and which provide the park with no less than 1,700 hectares of freely evolving forests, the park has implemented an ecosystem service. Basically, the benefits of the forest (carbon capture, the fight against floods thanks to humus…) will be monetized through a scale of valuethen paid to the municipalities that make the premises available to the park.
“We have received 18 million in subsidies from the Walloon Region (via the recovery plan, editor’s note) for the years 2023-2026. Part of this money will pay the municipalities which put their forests in free evolution. It is then up to us at the park to develop tourist activity to finance this ecosystem service after 2026. This is the challenge of the business plan that must be prepared. Forests are suffering terribly with global warming. Free evolution will allow the forest to evolve and adapt.“
In Viroinval, the mayor Baudouin Scheller assesses, for example, the financial loss linked to the end of logging in integral forest areas, at 50,000 euros per year. “The challenge is to sustain this ecosystemic system, or even encourage it elsewhere. For example, we are thinking about a sponsorship mechanism, the citizen could thus support a piece of resilience forest“, advances the mayor.
“All investors are welcome, as long as their project is in line with the values of the park. This park is not an amusement park, but an important point of attraction that puts our territory on the map. ”
Drink water from the river
Elsewhere, in the Famenne, the restoration of nature will be done in collaboration with farmers. “Over 50 hectares, we are going to restore nature by planting, for example, 20 high-stem orchards. This should make it possible to attract rare species, such as the horseshoe bat. In total, 20 actions for nature are planned”, explains Thibaut Goret.
There is necessarily a part of utopia in the projectlike this dream of saying that we can drink water from national park rivers in 2041but it is part of the atmosphere of the place.
Avoid durbuysation
If tourists will be welcome, the challenge for the organizers will be to channel the flow of people. “Tourists will be invited to enter the park via one of the 5 entrance gates. From there, they will be sent back to the trails. The idea is to concentrate tourists where we do not impact the fauna and flora. Thanks to the 5 doors, we will disperse them to avoid mass concentration. The tourist will rarely leave the marked paths. He will go where he is told to go”, explains Thibaut Goret.
Park managers do not hide it. Here, we want to avoid the Durbuy effect at all costs.
“Tourism must be for the benefit of nature protection. And not the other way around! During the covid, it was a disaster at Fondry des Chiens. A durbuysation, and it would be horror for nature and biotopes. With our natural park, our project is the exact opposite of what Durbuy did. We are not an amusement park. And if it is necessary to limit certain flows, as in the creeks, why not? Rangers will also be hired to supervise tourists,” insists the site manager.
And if the park allows itself certain projects such as the creation of watchtowers to observe the canopic canopy, “we will not be sensational.”
An economic lever for the region
“With the arrival of this project, we hope that citizens will earn a little better living. This park is also a driver of development for our region.”
Municipalities like Viroinval will also play on the taxation of second residences in order to avoid the phenomenon of dormitory villages like those found in the south of Belgium.
“We need a balance. In Viroinval, we suffer from a lack of shops. There is not, as in Durbuy, a multitude of stores. We could be more dynamic at the horeca level without allowing any What. As for the gîtes, for the moment there is not too much pressure yet, but we will use the new legislation of the Walloon Region by requiring a planning permit. In the centers of the villages, it will not be for example, it is not allowed to develop large lodges, which are often the source of the nuisance. But in the end, with the arrival of this project, we hope that citizens earn a little better living. This park is also a driver of development for our region“, hopes Baudouin Scheller.
It probably didn’t take more to convince the Chimay-Wartoise foundationone of whose missions is to contribute to the socio-economic development of the region thanks to the profits generated by the sale of beers from the abbey of Chimay, to embark on the adventure.
“In Flanders, the national park would have created 5,000 direct and indirect jobs. We can see it today, investors are showing up. There is the tannery project, like others. All investors are welcome, as long as their project is in line with the values of the park. This park is not an amusement park, but an important point of attraction that puts our territory on the map“, concludes Philippe Chèvremont, representative of the foundation on the board of directors of the national park.
The summary
- The Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse National Park extends over more than 22,000 hectares in the territories of the Ardennes, the Fagne and the Calestienne.
- Among its strengths, it will house the largest integral forest in Belgium. Here, human action will be prohibited.
- The income generated by tourism will allow park managers to finance their project dedicated to biodiversity.
- Municipal officials also see it as an economic lever for one of the poorest regions of Wallonia.
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