European Rewilding Network
ERN2201
Nassonia
Rewilding the forest of Saint-Michel-Freyr
The Nassonia project wishes to make this forest a territory of excellence for the Natura 2000 tool, by restoring the natural habitats to restore their good state of conservation as much as possible and maintain it in a sustainable manner.
The 1,650 ha of Saint-Michel-Freyr national forest extend over part of the territories of the communes of Tenneville, Nassogne, and Saint-Hubert.
Nassonia wishes to become a laboratory open to researchers in a large range of topics and to bring together the diverse and complementary skills of many actors around a common subject: the forest and its future.
The forest of Saint-Michel-Freyr would become a forest in which humans take a step back, gradually erasing the traces of their passage, allowing nature to regain its rights as much as possible.
Once restored, the diversity of habitats present on the project will provide a refuge for a multitude of species specific to the Ardennes.
Nassonia project aims to reach a self functioning forest on more than 1.000 ha in the 10 coming years
Nassonia is creating the forest of tomorrow: a human, scientific and cultural laboratory.
Nassonia is a project of co-management of the public regional forest of Saint-Michel-Freyr by Walloon region (the Nature and Forest Department of the Walloon Public Service) and the Pairi Daiza Foundation. It has the ambition to implement an innovative management of species and natural habitats to make this forest more resilient. Nassonia wishes to become a laboratory open to researchers in a large range of topics and to bring together the diverse and complementary skills of many actors around a common subject: the forest and its future. The forest will remain (as it is today), largely opened to walkers to share its exceptional character and invite them to live a powerful experience. This forest plays a role in raising awareness of the importance of this ecosystem.One of the clearest targets of Nassonia is to offer the natural processes all the possibilities to live themselves, to increase the feeling of nature in this forest for visitors and to increase the possibilities for natural habitats to host a large panel of species
Project:
Nassonia
Region:
Saint-Hubert forest, Wallonia
Type of protection:
NATURA 2000
Habitat types:
Stagnant water, flowing waters, raised bogs and blanket bogs, valley bogs, fens and transition bogs, mesophilic grasslands, wet meadows, megaphorbia and forest heaths, temperate heaths, low woody plantations, beech woodland with Luzula, alder-frash riparian forest of fast flowing rivers, riparian alder-fir forest of fast flowing rivers, Medio-European neutrophilous beech forest, Medio-European acidophilous beech forest, Medio-European acidocline oak woodland, pedunculate oak-birch forest
Type of project:
Creating space for wilder nature, Fostering the development of nature based economies, Increasing interest in the wild through communications, Magnification of rewilding impact and practices, Supporting wildlife comeback
Aim and vision:
Nassonia is working towards creating:
1. A biodiversity hotspot : To promote a forest with a high degree of naturalness, rich in biodiversity, self-sustaining
2. An enchanting forest : Enchanting to reconnect human beings to nature
3. A laboratory forest : Creating together the forest of tomorrow: a human, scientific and cultural laboratory
4. A forest in economic transition : Inventing a new economic model for the forest: a laboratory for economic sustainability
5. A forest that shines : Acting globally with the actors of the surrounding concentric circles
6. Creation of a future National Park
1. A biodiversity hotspot : To promote a forest with a high degree of naturalness, rich in biodiversity, self-sustaining
2. An enchanting forest : Enchanting to reconnect human beings to nature
3. A laboratory forest : Creating together the forest of tomorrow: a human, scientific and cultural laboratory
4. A forest in economic transition : Inventing a new economic model for the forest: a laboratory for economic sustainability
5. A forest that shines : Acting globally with the actors of the surrounding concentric circles
6. Creation of a future National Park
Once restored, the diversity of habitats present on the project will provide a refuge for a multitude of species specific to the Ardennes. And will allow Saint-Michel-Freyr to be a forest even richer in biodiversity, where many animal and plant species will evolve and interact.
Uniqueness of the project:
Nassonia project takes place in an area that has benefit from different nature conservation projects (LIFE nature and biodiversity). It’s situated in a large regional forest with an important percentage of nature reserves. Nassonia is the heart of a 50.000 ha of public forests belonging to municipalities. The most part of this large area is under N2000 status
Other activities:
Community involved, Education, Research
Results you aim to accomplish in 10 years from now on:
Nassonia project aims to reach a self functioning forest on more than 1.000 ha in the 10 coming years. It aims to reach a 50 to 70 M3 of dead wood per ha. We plan to re-create the necessary conditions to host Wolf and Lynx, rapidly spreading through Western Europe.
Results so far:
We have written our Master Plan (https://www.nassonia.be/fr/approfondir/bibliotheque ) and made it approved by the regional authorities. We have already restored more than 50 ha of alluvial forests, 25 ha of indigenous deciduous forests, 8 ha of heatlands and digged more than 50 pounds. Now, mid 2022, we are finishing the Forestry management plan that will guide our actions for the coming 20 years.
Inspirational value:
Nassonia project has shown the deep attachment of large public to the forests and their wish to see them evaluating as naturally as possible. Nassonia project is a clear response to that. The project is daily managed by a public service (DNF-SPW) and a private Foundation (Pairi Daiza Foundation). The mix of those two cultures, their way of functioning is clearly a real added value to this project.
Experience you would like to share:
Nassonia is situated in a dense country in the heart of Europe (375 inhabitants per km2). Our project takes place in a public forest at only one hour and a half driving or two hours by train from Brussels, the European Commission and its Parliament. It a real great opportunity on local, regional, national and European levels to show how rewilding is possible and efficient in such conditions.
Experience you would like to gain:
Being a member of the ERN is a key way to learn more how rewilding can provide a local and regional economic development and to offer a new vision of nature in a densely populated country.
Country
Belgium
Start year
2018
End year
2098
Size (ha)
1650
Area type
Temperate deciduous forest
Natural process
Flooding, Natural grazing, Predation
Flagship species
Beaver, Red deer, Roe deer, Wolf
The Nassonia project wishes to make this forest a territory of excellence for the Natura 2000 tool, by restoring the natural habitats to restore their good state of conservation as much as possible and maintain it in a sustainable manner.
The 1,650 ha of Saint-Michel-Freyr national forest extend over part of the territories of the communes of Tenneville, Nassogne, and Saint-Hubert.
Nassonia wishes to become a laboratory open to researchers in a large range of topics and to bring together the diverse and complementary skills of many actors around a common subject: the forest and its future.
The forest of Saint-Michel-Freyr would become a forest in which humans take a step back, gradually erasing the traces of their passage, allowing nature to regain its rights as much as possible.
Once restored, the diversity of habitats present on the project will provide a refuge for a multitude of species specific to the Ardennes.
Nassonia project aims to reach a self functioning forest on more than 1.000 ha in the 10 coming years
Nassonia is creating the forest of tomorrow: a human, scientific and cultural laboratory.
Nassonia is a project of co-management of the public regional forest of Saint-Michel-Freyr by Walloon region (the Nature and Forest Department of the Walloon Public Service) and the Pairi Daiza Foundation. It has the ambition to implement an innovative management of species and natural habitats to make this forest more resilient. Nassonia wishes to become a laboratory open to researchers in a large range of topics and to bring together the diverse and complementary skills of many actors around a common subject: the forest and its future. The forest will remain (as it is today), largely opened to walkers to share its exceptional character and invite them to live a powerful experience. This forest plays a role in raising awareness of the importance of this ecosystem.One of the clearest targets of Nassonia is to offer the natural processes all the possibilities to live themselves, to increase the feeling of nature in this forest for visitors and to increase the possibilities for natural habitats to host a large panel of species
Country
Belgium
Start year
2018
End year
2098
Size (ha)
1650
Area type
Temperate deciduous forest
Natural process
Flooding, Natural grazing, Predation
Flagship species
Beaver, Red deer, Roe deer, Wolf
Specification
Project:
Nassonia
Region:
Saint-Hubert forest, Wallonia
Type of protection:
NATURA 2000
Habitat types:
Stagnant water, flowing waters, raised bogs and blanket bogs, valley bogs, fens and transition bogs, mesophilic grasslands, wet meadows, megaphorbia and forest heaths, temperate heaths, low woody plantations, beech woodland with Luzula, alder-frash riparian forest of fast flowing rivers, riparian alder-fir forest of fast flowing rivers, Medio-European neutrophilous beech forest, Medio-European acidophilous beech forest, Medio-European acidocline oak woodland, pedunculate oak-birch forest
Description
Type of project:
Creating space for wilder nature, Fostering the development of nature based economies, Increasing interest in the wild through communications, Magnification of rewilding impact and practices, Supporting wildlife comeback
Aim and vision:
Nassonia is working towards creating:
1. A biodiversity hotspot : To promote a forest with a high degree of naturalness, rich in biodiversity, self-sustaining
2. An enchanting forest : Enchanting to reconnect human beings to nature
3. A laboratory forest : Creating together the forest of tomorrow: a human, scientific and cultural laboratory
4. A forest in economic transition : Inventing a new economic model for the forest: a laboratory for economic sustainability
5. A forest that shines : Acting globally with the actors of the surrounding concentric circles
6. Creation of a future National Park
1. A biodiversity hotspot : To promote a forest with a high degree of naturalness, rich in biodiversity, self-sustaining
2. An enchanting forest : Enchanting to reconnect human beings to nature
3. A laboratory forest : Creating together the forest of tomorrow: a human, scientific and cultural laboratory
4. A forest in economic transition : Inventing a new economic model for the forest: a laboratory for economic sustainability
5. A forest that shines : Acting globally with the actors of the surrounding concentric circles
6. Creation of a future National Park
Once restored, the diversity of habitats present on the project will provide a refuge for a multitude of species specific to the Ardennes. And will allow Saint-Michel-Freyr to be a forest even richer in biodiversity, where many animal and plant species will evolve and interact.
Uniqueness of the project:
Nassonia project takes place in an area that has benefit from different nature conservation projects (LIFE nature and biodiversity). It’s situated in a large regional forest with an important percentage of nature reserves. Nassonia is the heart of a 50.000 ha of public forests belonging to municipalities. The most part of this large area is under N2000 status
Other activities:
Community involved, Education, Research
Achievements
Results you aim to accomplish in 10 years from now on:
Nassonia project aims to reach a self functioning forest on more than 1.000 ha in the 10 coming years. It aims to reach a 50 to 70 M3 of dead wood per ha. We plan to re-create the necessary conditions to host Wolf and Lynx, rapidly spreading through Western Europe.
Results so far:
We have written our Master Plan (https://www.nassonia.be/fr/approfondir/bibliotheque ) and made it approved by the regional authorities. We have already restored more than 50 ha of alluvial forests, 25 ha of indigenous deciduous forests, 8 ha of heatlands and digged more than 50 pounds. Now, mid 2022, we are finishing the Forestry management plan that will guide our actions for the coming 20 years.
Exchange
Inspirational value:
Nassonia project has shown the deep attachment of large public to the forests and their wish to see them evaluating as naturally as possible. Nassonia project is a clear response to that. The project is daily managed by a public service (DNF-SPW) and a private Foundation (Pairi Daiza Foundation). The mix of those two cultures, their way of functioning is clearly a real added value to this project.
Experience you would like to share:
Nassonia is situated in a dense country in the heart of Europe (375 inhabitants per km2). Our project takes place in a public forest at only one hour and a half driving or two hours by train from Brussels, the European Commission and its Parliament. It a real great opportunity on local, regional, national and European levels to show how rewilding is possible and efficient in such conditions.
Experience you would like to gain:
Being a member of the ERN is a key way to learn more how rewilding can provide a local and regional economic development and to offer a new vision of nature in a densely populated country.