Farmers will manage 108 hectares of river nature on the Meuse floodplains | Stal-en-Akker.nl

The contract was signed by John Verhoijsen, chairman of Natuurrijk Limburg, Huub Dormans, director of Natuurrijk Limburg and van Maaskracht project manager Jan Sijbring and technical manager Leendert Verhoeven.

As subcontractors of Maaskracht, farmers from the Cooperative Natuurrijk Limburg will carry out agricultural nature management on grassland plots in the Limburg floodplains along the Maas. In this way, knowledge of the environment, together with local agricultural entrepreneurs, is optimally used to promote biodiversity and guarantee the safety of high water drainage.

Agricultural nature management

Maaskracht is, on behalf of Rijkswaterstaat, responsible for the maintenance of the floodplains along the Maas. Natuurrijk Limburg, responsible for agricultural nature and landscape management (ANLb) in Limburg, will, as a subcontractor of Maaskracht, have agricultural nature management carried out by its members on grassland plots in the Limburg floodplains.

Optimizing floodplain management through regular grazing and mowing of grassland plots. This leads to the development of species-rich grasslands, such as grasslands rich in herbs and fauna.

High water discharge

Nature in the floodplains is diverse and constantly changes under the influence of growth, animal grazing, sun, wind and water. Rijkswaterstaat keeps these changes in line with the standards for high water discharge and improvement of water quality. These standards are laid down in the so-called vegetation layer, which forms the basis for green maintenance and nature management as carried out by Maaskracht and Natuurrijk Limburg.

Natuurrijk Limburg wants to investigate whether this collaboration will result in an improvement in the species diversity of the floodplains. This can be in the form of an increase in herbs, but can also improve the structure of grasslands. These can both lead to more insects and from there to an increase in the number of bird species in the floodplains.