Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse National Park

Restoration Landscapes | Belgium

Rewilding woodlands, watersheds and grasslands across southern Belgium.

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Project Overview

The Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse National Park covers the landscape between the Sambre and Meuse rivers, a region of forests, river catchments, open grasslands and internationally important dark skies. Following its designation as a National Park in 2023, partners across the public, private, associative and institutional sectors have come together around a shared vision for large-scale ecological restoration and sustainable regional development.

This project will build on that momentum by enhancing the naturalness of forest ecosystems, restoring ecological processes, and testing natural grazing approaches through the introduction of large herbivores at a pilot site. Alongside habitat restoration, the project seeks to strengthen people’s connection with the landscape and support new economic opportunities linked to nature recovery.

By combining landscape-scale restoration with strong community engagement, the project aims to create a resilient and connected landscape that delivers long-term benefits for biodiversity, climate adaptation and local well-being.

Project location:

Wallonia, southern Belgium

Lead partners:

Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse National Park (Parc national de l’Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse)

Grant duration:

Ongoing since 2026

Grant size:

US$ 1,500,000

Landscape size:

56,070 ha

Key habitats:

Temperate forests, wet meadows, calcareous grasslands

Focal species:

Large herbivores (feral cattle and horses), wolf, black stork, wild cat

Ecosystem services:

Water purification, carbon storage, recreation and tourism, education and science

Why this place matters

The Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse National Park lies within one of Belgium’s richest landscapes for biodiversity, covering 22,500 hectares and supporting around 80% of the species recorded in Wallonia. Its forests, grasslands, wetlands and rivers span three distinct geological regions, creating a remarkable diversity of habitats and wildlife.

The northern Fagne is characterised by oak woodlands and wet meadows, providing habitat for species such as the Eurasian beaver and black stork. The limestone landscapes of the Calestienne support species-rich grasslands with more than 24 orchid species, while the forested Ardenne is home to wildcat, red deer and the recently returned wolf. Three important rivers, the Eau Blanche, Eau Noire and Viroin, connect ecosystems across the landscape.

Despite its ecological value, the area faces challenges including habitat fragmentation, declining connectivity and the loss of natural processes. Through this project, the National Park and its partners will strengthen ecological connections, increase forest naturalness, restore natural grazing and build public support for rewilding. Together, these actions aim to establish the Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse as Belgium’s wildest landscape, where nature and communities can thrive side by side.

Action on the ground

This project will enhance the naturalness of forest ecosystems, restore ecological processes, and test natural grazing approaches. Planned actions include:

The designation of new integral forest reserves (min. 500 ha).

A pilot site dedicated to natural grazing.

Developing nature-based tourism through the creation of a rewilding module for the National Park’s Guides and local tourism enterprises.

Capacity building through the organization of specialized training and study trips for forest owners and managers.

of forest newly classified as Level 2 under the National Park’s Forest Charter (enhancing forest naturalness).

of active ecological restoration: taking out exotic tree stands and the blockage of drainage systems).

Dedicated communication efforts highlighting pioneering projects, with the aim of building greater support for the restoration of Wallonia’s most valuable natural areas.

Project partners