• August 22, 2025

Peat Pals Partners in Flanders: An Introduction to Peatland Restoration in the Valley of the Dommel

Last February, the Peat Pals for LIFE partners visited the valley of the Dommel in Flanders for an in-person implementation meeting. During this meeting, we first looked back at the project so far. A lot has happened since the start of the project in July 2023 and as a result we reflected on what has happened during 2024 and compared it to the vision we had at the end of 2023. In the Netherlands, at least 2 km of dikes were built in the Fochteloërveen, together with the recent start of low-emission dike construction. In Flanders, we acquired new land, created our implementation plans and purchased adapted equipment for the sustainable restoration of our pilot sites. All partners were very satisfied with the results so far and we hope to continue this trend in 2025.

Picture of the Peat Pals for LIFE partners that visited Flanders (©Peat Pals for LIFE).

We also looked ahead at some of the major milestones for 2025. The InterLIFE meeting of June 2025 was discussed briefly, followed by a more in-depth the discussion about the Theory of Change that was developed for this LIFE project. The latter is important as the Theory of Change will have implications on the monitoring methods that will be practiced during this project. To be continued!

After the meeting, partners visited the Dommelvalley to link theory to practice. Natuurpunt’s local volunteers and project coordinator guided the partners around the different zones in which restoration will take place during the project. The focus in this pilot site is the restoration of Molinia meadows, an European-protected habitat which has become very rare in both Flanders and the Netherlands. Partners exchanged ideas and experiences about how to sustainably perform the restoration works to mitigate/avoid potential damage to the area. Also, one of our partners observed Slender Cow-horn Bog-moss (Sphagnum subsecundum) in our site, a very rare species in Flanders and even scarcer species in the Netherlands.

A flowering Molinia meadow in the Dommelvalley (summer 2024). These flower-rich areas are the focus of the Dommel pilot in Flanders (©Theo Geuens).