Bob the beaver. Hailed. Reviled.

Around 2000, the beaver reappeared in Flanders, after not being seen for 150 years. This didn't happen naturally at first. The beaver was introduced deliberately.

Not everyone was happy about that. After all, the beaver takes care of its own 'infrastructure works' to maintain the water level and protect the access to its nest. In some places, meadows and fields were flooded and sometimes an owner was afraid for his beautiful park, garden or even home. This is also the case in Tremelo where the beavers appeared around 2017. Their dams on the domain of Fonteyn were destroyed several times, both by the municipality and province, but also by local residents. The illegal destruction of the large dam in June 2017 and the subsequent mass mortality of fish and amphibians in the Laak was the starting signal for a campaign by Natuurpunt.

In the end, a compromise was found. Together with the municipality of Tremelo, the province developed a framework of agreements to reconcile the beaver with its environment in a balanced way. Quick and appropriate intervention is possible in the event of a threat of flooding. The beaver dam is then lowered to the level that the water can flow sufficiently, but in such a way that the access to the beaver lodge remains under water.

Jan Rymenams