Kruibeke (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Volunteers from the Regional Landscape Schelde-Durme conducted a study of a pond located in Kruibeke. This initiative shows the current state of local ponds to nature enthusiasts through joint work between the Beveren Kruibeke Zwijndrecht municipality and local volunteers.
Volunteers from the Regional Landscape Schelde-Durme worked with the Beveren, Kruibeke and Zwijndrecht municipalities to complete an extensive examination of the Kruibeke pond. This project delivered updated ecological data and biodiversity information to all nature lovers interested in local ponds.
The survey observations showed an active underwater environment where scientists discovered the unusual crested newt that faces decline throughout Flanders. The project demonstrates the present-day commitment to aquatic habitat surveillance and conservation in the region, which secures survival pathways for common and rare species.
In Kruibeke and Temse alone, there are hundreds of pools. They are teeming with life under the water’s surface.
“In the past, it was often too wet to do agriculture on those plots,”
explains Tobi De Man of Regionaal Landschap Schelde-Durme.
“As a result, the soil in the corners of those plots rose towards the centre. This led to the convex agricultural landscape in the region. Corner wells or small pools were created in those corners, which are connected by canals and form a network.”
“Since the connection of these pools is crucial for underwater life, we are putting extra effort into their preservation. That is why we work together with the farmers who keep them alive. We also reward them financially for this,”
says De Man.
“In the past, the pools had various advantages, such as fish and drinking water for the cattle.”
To monitor life in the pools and study the decline or reproduction trends, Regionaal Landschap Schelde-Durme keeps an inventory every year. This morning, volunteers gathered at farmer Victor’s farm in Kruibeke. “Last night we put traps in the water, this morning we took them out to bring the underwater life to the surface.”
And it was a nice ‘harvest’, says De Man. “We found about 20 small newts, but also the rare crested newt. It’s mostly about that newt: it’s a rare species and doesn’t occur everywhere in Flanders anymore. Thanks to our network of ponds and wells, it can still live here.”
Furthermore, the volunteers also found pool frogs and smaller water species such as water beetles, bugs and a stick bug. “These are really good pools here”, concludes Tobi De Man.
“If those pools were to disappear, all aquatic life would disappear. They are safe havens for those creatures, but you don’t encounter them naturally, so it is important that they are well-maintained and that new ones are created.”
Farmer Victor was certainly pleased with the attention for his pond. “It means people are chatting about something other than cows on my farm,” he laughs. “I was certainly aware that there was life in that pond, but now that I can see for myself how many different species are being pulled up, I have even more respect for it.”
Why is the preservation of ponds important for the region’s biodiversity?
Kruibeke ponds, together with their regional counterparts, function as vital habitats for water-based species that cannot easily be found in other locations. The complete removal of these pools would eliminate entire aquatic communities since they serve as protective environments for the crested newt, together with pool frogs and many invertebrate species. The pond network supports species population intermixing, which minimises inbreeding so that populations can endure in the long term.
The success of common and rare species depends heavily on maintaining existing ponds and creating new ones, as well as implementing landscape practices that support plant diversity. Joining local farmers demonstrates combined environmental responsibility since they now implement habitat conservation measures instead of their previous agricultural methods.
The inventory outcomes serve both to direct preservation approaches while simultaneously educating the neighbouring community about the environmental worth of neglected ecosystems.
