Forests, Parks and Nature Reserves in Wallonia

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2007, Forests, Parks and Nature Reserves
2007, Forests, Parks and Nature Reserves

The diversity of its landscapes, as well as its climate have given Wallonia invaluable natural riches. This year we invite you do discover this remarkable natural heritage, which is the result of the age old interactions between man and nature.
This nature, well-known by walkers and tourist, is offered to you across thousands of kilometers of way-marked walks that are accessible all year long, on foot, by bike, on horse…

Until recently, only the economical function of the forest was taken into consideration. It’s only from the 60s that the concept “forest for leisure” has started to spread. In the early 70s the social role of the forest was highlighted and it was turned into a place to relax and to recharge one’s batteries with the creation of welcoming areas, educational paths and museums.

From 1866 to 2006 the Walloon forest surface has only kept on growing. In 140 years time, it has gone from 315.648 ha to 544.800 ha. Nearly 80% of the Belgian forests are located in Wallonia, where about one third (32%) of the surface is covered by forests. More than 60% of the Walloon forests is located in the Ardenne.

The Walloon forest is particularly varied and balanced. It owes its diversity to its history, its geographical locations and its current management combining production and tourist appeals. These different factors contribute to the structuration of the Walloon forest in a mosaic of varied plantings. These mostly consist of broad-leaved trees, 53 of which indigenous essences, representing 52% of the Walloon forest. In total, the Walloon flora counts 355 forest species. To this vegetal diversity corresponds a large animal diversity, with 32 mammals, 75 birds, 8 amphibians and 4 reptiles.

The Walloon Region has decided to conduct an ambitious policy on conserving nature. To execute this strategy, protected areas have been created. These benefit from different protection statuses, in function of the pursued objective. NATURA 2000 (13% of Walloon territory), the nature and forest reserves, the Humid Areas, the subterranean cavities, the listed sites are a part of that, as well as the Nature Parks. The latter, 9 in total, cover 19% of the Walloon territory. They place nature and man in the centre of their concerns. Their role is to protect the heritage (natural, cultural, architectural), by assuring the wellbeing of the population and the economical and tourist development of the region.