Marjolijn
Can you spot the roe deer between our brand new WildMarsh exclosures in the Hedwige polder? Later in the evening, we held our “Streekholders meeting” (not to be confused with stakeholders meeting), which brought together more than 120 people from the region, border park hosts, guides, and farmers from around Grenspark Groot Saeftinghe.
We (Marieke Mom, Jente van Leeuwe and I) presented our #WildMarsh plans and opportunities for rewilding – including the freshly captured photo of the roe deer. Afterward, it was time to exchange ideas with the streekholders: the chairs were moved aside and Mirthe Dokter (Pollif Projects) guided the group through various exercises that helped us get to know each other better and share perspectives – through a theater exercise.
Rewilding is also about letting go of control: you initiate a natural process, but then release the reins, allowing the ecosystem to find its own path toward resilience. This is exciting, because you don’t know what the outcome will be. In the exercise, we practiced our own resilience and finding comfort in the uncomfortable feeling of letting go of control.
Following this, we visited other focus sessions about the development of the Prosperpolder, a visitor center, and the results of the bird census in the Drowned Land of Saeftinghe (where many bird species are unfortunately declining rapidly). It was beautiful to see how engaged the streekholders are in the development of their region and how open everyone is to knowledge exchange. We look forward to the next meeting!
In the WildMarsh project, we’re researching whether grazers, such as water buffaloes and deer, can help make coastal areas more resilient against climate change.
#WildMarsh #Rewilding #Hedwigepolder #GrootSaeftinghe #NatureManagement #ClimateAdaptation
