Dendermonde (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Volunteers of Natuurpunt restore Sint-Onolfspolder in Dendermonde by removing illegal houses and concrete. The Flemish Blue Deal supports the project. Curator Bart Dierickx says wetlands will benefit animals and plants.
As VRT News reported, in the Sint-Onolfspolder in Dendermonde, in the province of East Flanders, Belgium, volunteers from Natuurpunt have begun removing illegal weekend houses, caravans, and concrete surfaces. Workers are clearing away artificial.
“We recently purchased several plots of land where a lot of rubbish and even asbestos were still present,”
explains Bart Dierickx, curator of Naturpunt Dendermonding.
What will the restoration of Sint-Onolfspolder in Dendermonde bring?
Officials mentioned that the project is part of the Flemish Blue Deal. The purpose of this project is to mitigate water shortage and climate issues, to enhance and maximise the function of the wetland to hold rainwater. With the rewetting of Sint-Onolfspolder, Natuurpunt and its partners aspire to not only enhance biodiversity but also systematically prevent flooding and drought issues in the future, as well as extend other benefits to the local area and its community.
“By removing paving, rainwater can seep back into the soil. This helps to mitigate droughts and prevent flooding,”
says Natuurpunt.
The restoration of the Sint-Onolfspolder is also linked to the fight against climate change. Wetlands and peat grounds can store large amounts of carbon dioxide. When the ponds and marsh plants are restored, the area will again act as a natural carbon sink. The restored wetlands will therefore reduce greenhouse gases and play a part in limiting global warming.
Natuurpunt Dendermonding is working with volunteers who remove illegal houses, clear concrete surfaces, and support the recovery of the land. Their role will continue after the first works are finished. The organisation has called on more people to take part. It says community support is vital for the future of the nature reserve in the Scheldt Valley.
The Sint-Onolfspolder has been part of the Scheldt Valley nature reserve since the 1990s, but the polder has been infested with illegal weekend cottages, caravans, and asphalt patches that developed mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. Authorities spent decades trying to lift the ban on construction in the polder.
In recent years, growing attention to water scarcity and climate adaptation in Flanders has led to renewed action. The Flemish Blue Deal, launched in 2020, set out clear goals to restore wetlands and increase water storage. Within this framework, the large-scale clean-up in Dendermonde began in 2024.
