Zouweboezem

Zouweboezem is a storage area near Ameide in the Utrecht municipality of Vijfheerenlanden, which was excavated between 1370 and 1373 to collect excess water from the polders in Vijfheerenlanden. The Old Zederik, also known as Zouwe, runs through the area. The area is a so-called bird directive area and consists of open water, reed and cattail marshes, willow beds, alder carr forest, and small areas of grassland and orchard. The storage fields flood during high water and are characterized by a dense pattern of ditches. In the part of the Achthoven Polder that lies within the boundaries, bluegrassland occurs. It is an important bird area, with the main breeding birds being the purple heron, the bittern, and the marsh harrier. The area is significant due to the large population of the broad-bodied chaser, which the purple herons forage on. Furthermore, it is an important breeding area for flooded herbaceous vegetation and floating aquatic plants. These and other waterfowl mainly utilize the sheltered open water areas, while the reed fields are used for roosting by various migratory birds. An area of 258 ha has been designated as a Natura 2000 area.

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