Restoration of field pond and Gulke Putten

Look around you and realize that you are standing here in the middle of a former large field pond, the Caluwenbroekvijver. The current Beukendreef used to form the eastern and southern boundary of the pond, but the northern dyke was still well beyond the Boskapeldreef.

Between the 14th and 18th centuries, there was a great demand for river fish in the cities. But already then, there was overfishing and pollution of the rivers. Wealthy investors created field ponds, primarily for breeding carp. For this purpose, streams were dammed, creating ponds that could be drained for harvesting.

The carp breeding process lasted three years and took place in three stages: breeding, growth, and fattening. Each stage occurred in a pond of appropriate size. The harvested carp were transported alive to the fish market. The townspeople kept the carp in their rain barrels until they could be prepared live, fresh, and free of muddy taste.

With the construction of the canal system between the North Sea ports and the city of Antwerp in the early 17th century, more fresh sea fish could be supplied, making the breeding of river fish less profitable, and the field ponds gradually fell into disuse.

As part of nature management, a field pond approximately 2.5 hectares in size has been dug again. In this way, we restore cultural historical heritage and achieve the European nature goals for the Biscopveld, which call for more wet environments. We aim for a nutrient-poor pond with clear water, and therefore an existing ditch was redirected. The new Caluwenbroekvijver can thus become very rich in plant species and also attract dragonflies and damselflies. The pond will be a suitable habitat for amphibians, such as the pond frog, which is typical of this region. Additionally, flower-rich sparse grasslands have also been restored. The poorer the soil (= the less nutritious), the richer a grassland is in flowers (= the more biodiversity it contains). To impoverish the soil, 10 centimeters to several decimeters were dug out from several nutrient-rich grasslands. This allows seeds of rare plants that have been in the soil for decades to germinate more easily, or we create the ideal conditions for restoring flower-rich grasslands. By excavating with a gentle slope, a transition will be created from wetter to drier environments, with all the associated plants and animals that live there. In this way, we increase biodiversity!

To the right, we see the transmission towers of the Gulke Putten.

The establishment of the Radio-Electrical Center at the border of the municipalities of Wingene and Ruiselede is one of the main reasons why the Gulke Putten has been preserved as a heathland area. The transmission station was initiated by Belgacom in the early twentieth century and transferred to Defense in 2001. To avoid short circuits and fire hazards, the area around the transmission towers had to be kept open. So, there was extensive mowing and cutting, which helped preserve the heath sparse grasslands and other natural values. Most of the transmission station has since lost its function. The old transmission facilities are officially protected as industrial heritage, and Natuurpunt vzw takes care of nature management.

The reserve is a unique relic of the former extensive wastelands. The area is rich in wet and dry heath, heath sparse grasslands, coppices with flower-rich paths and open spaces with orchid-rich meadows. A management of sod cutting, mowing, coppicing, grazing, and letting be has led to the restoration and maintenance of Europe’s top nature.

The name Gulke Putten also refers here to the former presence of field ponds.

Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos