Maasduinen National Park

In the northeast of Limburg lies National Park De Maasduinen. It is a forest and heathland area, located on a long, high sandy ridge between the Meuse River and the German border. The park stretches over more than 20 kilometers with an average width of two to three kilometers and covers a total of more than 4,500 hectares. The area contains the longest river dune belt in the Netherlands, which was formed through the interplay of water, wind, and humans over the centuries.
River dunes were formed in the last ice age, the Weichselian. The glacial ice did not reach the Netherlands, but it was cold and dry. In the polar desert, there was no closed plant cover, and the wind had free reign. When the broad and shallow riverbeds were dry, the sand could blow up into river dunes. The predominantly westerly wind carried sand from the dry riverbeds and deposited it again to the east of them. This created sand ridges and horseshoe-shaped dunes (sickle dunes or parabolic dunes).
Since prehistoric times, humans have influenced nature in De Maasduinen. Forests were cleared to make room for agricultural land. To continue using the land, fertilization was necessary. For this, primarily sheep manure was used in the De Maasduinen area. Due to human actions (deforestation and overgrazing), heathland and drifting sands were created. Later, forests were replanted to stabilize the drifting sands and for wood production.

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