In the nature reserve De Brembroeken, municipality of Land van Cuijk, the water board Aa en Maas, together with partners and stakeholders, celebrated the completion of the stream restoration project Sint Jansbeek. During the completion event, the contribution of the project to the challenges of the province, water board, and Staatsbosbeheer was highlighted. And how collaboration in and with the area makes a difference.
Provincial Challenges and Area-Oriented Work
Saskia Boelema, deputy for Water and Soil, placed the project in the broader provincial policy: “The Sint Jansbeek is a beautiful example of a WFD project in East Brabant. Here, our provincial challenges for stream restoration and the establishment of an ecological connection zone come together beautifully. In total, 7 kilometers of stream has been developed, restoring the natural flow, allowing the stream to meander again, and making the banks more natural. This beautifully shows how we, together with partners, are building towards a sustainable landscape.”
The Sint Jansbeek is a beautiful example of a WFD project in East Brabant.
Saskia Boelema, deputy for Water and Soil
Nature Development in UNESCO Landscape
Jan Fenten, program manager at Staatsbosbeheer, spoke about the significance of the project for the Maasheggen area: “The Sint Jansbeek flows through a unique cultural landscape that is a UNESCO Man & Biosphere reserve. By combining nature development with agricultural use, such as agricultural nature management and nature leasing, a robust and supported system is created. Collaboration with local entrepreneurs like Erik Willems from De Brembroeken is essential in this.”
Implementing Area Challenges in Practice
The completion event offered a creative retrospective on the work done: 8 technical interventions – referred to as artworks – were presented as real art objects on easels. Officials, the councilor of the municipality of Land van Cuijk, implementers, and project team members unveiled the works festively. Afterwards, visitors could view the exhibition and participate in guided tours along the stream. The floodplain section - trace 4 - is still in the design phase; the rest is completed, which was reason enough to celebrate the completion together already.
