Walking Along the Maas

In the countryside of Wijk en Aalburg, municipality of Altena, lies a unique piece of landscape for several reasons. The area is known as Wijkerzand and was gifted in 1815 by Philips of Burgundy to all born and raised residents of Wijk. The Wijkerzand Management Foundation manages the Wijkerzand on behalf of all residents. Jacco Wink, a local dairy farmer and member of the foundation, guided deputy Hagar Roijackers and councilor Claudia Schipper around the floodplains of the Maas. Thanks to the Stimulus Scheme for Landscape, a walking path with adjacent shrub hedges has been created here. Residents of Wijk can enjoy the landscape that belongs to them.

Jacco Wink: With our foundation, we honor the landscape. All residents of Wijk (also known as natives or schaarmeesters) have a say. The management fee from the Stimulus Scheme for Landscape provides support for the maintenance of the area.

Councilor Claudia Schipper is pleased with landscape projects like this one at Wijkerzand. This place shows what the municipality of Altena stands for. There is peace and space, and agriculture goes hand in hand with the landscape. The Stimulus Scheme for Landscape helps realize climate adaptation in our municipality and makes recreation even more attractive here.

Help at the Kitchen Table

The landscape was beautified thanks to the landscape plan of field coordinator Roy Dankers. He and his colleagues – the province has nine regions, each with its own field coordinator – come to participants homes for free to help them with the plan and the submission. They know better than anyone what landscape elements fit or do not fit in their own region. Different elements are created for plots on clay soil than for plots on sandy soil, and also culturally historical aspects are considered for the most fitting elements.

Roy Dankers: Shrub hedges have traditionally been present here and provide space and shelter for birds, insects, and small mammals. Blocks have been chosen instead of long, continuous rows, so that meadow birds can still find passage to the meadows in the nature reserve.

Stimulus Scheme for Landscape

The Stimulus Scheme for Landscape (StiLa) is a unique scheme that exists only in North Brabant. Private landowners and farmers who want to contribute to the landscape can submit a subsidy application for the creation and management of landscape elements with the help of Groenloket Brabant, which is part of Brabants Landschap. Municipalities, water boards, and the province aim to ensure a future Brabant with characteristic pollard trees, hedges, watercourses, and herb edges. In addition to a beautiful landscape, they also provide a home for species such as the barn owl, vulnerable crested newt, or wild bees. Municipalities and water boards each contribute their budget, which the province then doubles.

More than 1200 Projects Realized

In 2020, the Stimulus Scheme for Landscape was opened for the first time. In the past 5 years, more than 1,200 landscape projects have been realized. This is also the case in the countryside of Oosteind, municipality of Oosterhout. There, Joeri and Angela sought the help of field coordinator Roy Dankers to create a plan for their land. As a result, a pond for frogs and salamanders, a tree line, flower blocks, and a high-stem fruit orchard were established.

Contribute Yourself to the Landscape

Each municipality and water board contributes its own budget for the scheme. The province of North Brabant then doubles this budget. Residents of Brabant with a piece of land in the countryside can claim this subsidy pot. Province-wide, over €14 million was reserved for 2020-2025, of which €4.4 million is still available. For information and advice, one can contact Groenloket Brabant, which is part of Brabants Landschap.

A Landscape to Enjoy

Deputy Hagar Roijackers is pleased with the results achieved. I am a proud deputy. Today I see the willingness of farmers and private individuals to invest in our Brabant landscape. For the future, we want to lower the threshold even more so that this scheme continues to make an impact. It makes nature and landscape accessible right to your door. This accessibility is also reflected in walking paths through farmland. These run through the beautiful landscape of Brabant and give the recreationalist the opportunity to enjoy everything the landscape has to offer. So be sure to check your local area for such a walking path through farmland and enjoy the landscape yourself.