New cabinet curtails work on new ecological corridors

THE HAGUE – A number of Dutch water boards – called waterschappen in the Netherlands – are dismayed that funding for ecological corridors has fallen victim to the budget cutbacks announced recently by the incoming Rutte cabinet. A thin strip of vegetation, the corridors are designed for use by wildlife and ‘potentially allow movement of biotic factors between two areas.’ In the Netherlands, the UN concept was adopted through an international convention in the early 1990s, and also has other benefits such as water storage and drainage along old routes that at some point were altered by human intervention. The corridors the water boards are concerned about involve previously meandering streams or creeks that are being restored to their ‘original’ condition. Ongoing projects – such as the Beerze in Brabant - may not be affected by the cutbacks immediately, but authorities in Overijssel quickly ceased purchasing additional properties dedicated for the zones and for other nature preservation purposes.