Molse Nete

The Molse Nete is an elongated relic of former grasslands along the Molse Nete south of the center of Mol. Many grasslands have now been forested or evolved into reed beds. You will find gems of grasslands with dotter flowers and sedges. Where the Molse Nete crosses a canal or a railway, there are hectares of large, difficult-to-access marshes that we manage through grazing, among other things. Here and there you walk undisturbed a few hundred meters from dry heath and coniferous forest to wet swamps in the stream valley.
Location

The Molse Nete is the main tributary of the Grote Nete. Its headwaters are situated on the border of the territory between Mol and Balen. From "Mol Gompel" the Molse Nete flows through Mol-center to Mol-Ezaart, and finally to Geel, where it flows into the Grote Nete. On Geel's territory, the Molse Nete flows first through the beautiful Zelguis sub-area and then along the north side of the Malesbroek, also a nature reserve of Natuurpunt.

Because of the high ecological and landscape value of the Molse Nete valley on the one hand and the need for adapted nature management on the other, Natuurpunt decided to start a purchase project in the area in 1996. At the moment, more than 100 hectares of valuable nature have been purchased. A large part of it is already officially recognized as a nature reserve.

The landscape of the Molse Nete valley is currently a distinctly small-scale cultural landscape with a high density of small landscape elements: wood edges, single trees, cattle drinking pools, streams and canals, roadsides...

In the area we find many small plots that are used as hayfields or pasture. In recent years, however, more and more plots have remained fallow. In addition, we also find deciduous forests, willow bushes, reed land, alder forests and numerous ponds scattered throughout the area. Some of the artificially dug ponds are now abandoned.

The tendency towards set-aside is initially beneficial for nature conservation, because spontaneous nature development can actually occur. If this phenomenon continues on a large scale and in the longer term, the open cultural landscape will evolve into a vast deciduous and trouser forest.

The challenge for nature management is to preserve the current biodiversity and at the same time to give the most important potential nature values every chance. In the long term, integral grazing offers the best guarantees to achieve this goal. However, as long as Natuurpunt only manages scattered plots and grazing blocks in the valley, integral grazing is not possible and mechanical management will continue to be necessary here and there. Our final vision is a Molse Nete valley with extensive trouser forests interspersed with large lots of reeds, willow bush and hay meadows that characterize the landscape.

More info: www.natuurpunt.be/natuurgebied/molse-nete

Eddy&Rita