Dilsen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Dilsen-Stokkem region suffers from disturbances created by beavers. Several beaver groups are constructing dams throughout Vrietselbeek in Lanklaar and Reseltbeek in Rotem. The municipality must proceed with breaking down the beaver-made structures.
The growing beaver population in Dilsen-Stokkem has become a major problem because residents file continuous complaints. The beaver population continues to construct dams throughout the Vrietselbeek in Lanklaar and Reseltbeek in Rotem, which results in extensive flooding of gardens and agricultural pastures and odour-related problems. The municipality performs necessary dam destruction, yet the beavers swiftly reconstruct them during nighttime hours.
The beaver has been in Dilsen-Stokkem for a few years, but the population has increased enormously in recent years.
“These beavers make dams that cause flooding in front of the dam, and drought behind the dam,”
Says Alderman Koen Sleypen (Vooruit Plus).
“We receive complaints every day about flooded gardens and agricultural pastures. But also about odor nuisance. And then there are also fish that have died due to the low water level.”
The problems are mainly located around the Reseltbeek in Rotem and the Vrietselbeek in Lanklaar.
“The Vrietselbeek is a long stream from Greven-Mulheim, runs straight through Lanklaar and flows into the Oude Maas in Dilsen,”
Sleypen explains.
“That stream is actually constantly dry and that causes odor nuisance. We receive daily reports from residents who are fed up with it.”
The streams are managed by the province.
“The province also does everything it can to maintain the streams,”
Says Sleypen.
“Our city services now break down the dams when the need is greatest. When a dam is destroyed, a beaver builds a new dam in one night. That is like mopping with the tap open. The beaver is a protected species, which means the population is growing. But at a certain point you have to ask yourself how long that beaver should be protected.”
What is the background of the Beaver issue in Dilsen-Stokkem?
The reintroduction of beavers into Belgium in the 1990s resulted in a substantial population expansion because the species had previously gone extinct from the area. The Flemish Agency for Nature and Forests reports that Flanders now hosts more than 3,000 beavers, whose population continues to expand at a rapid rate because of their protected status under the European Habitats Directive. Dilsen-Stokkem has experienced multiple years with resident beaver populations that now create rising tension between human operations.
The Vrietselbeek and Reseltbeek function as vital waterways for the region where beavers now actively reside, triggering damaging effects such as floods, droughts, and ecological damage. The municipal government faces limitations in controlling beaver populations because these animals are protected by law.
