The best hikes from bus stations in Brussels

one of the most beautiful trails in the Soignies forest

Any time of year... here with goldenrod. Bosvoorde pond, Vuursteenweg near IS. Just review it.

A 1600m long racecourse ideal for interval training. It has a fine gravel surface.

Here we see a watercourse, which is enough for a beaver. If the beaver builds a dam here, it can become a pond or a lake in two or three years. The animal can change an entire ecosystem, simply because its dam retains water and rain. These natural beaver dams are very efficient in combating floods and droughts, because they regulate the flow of small watercourses. Locally, they can shape the forest through flooding by flooding parts of the forest, causing the tree vegetation to die. When the beavers leave their dam and their beaver pond, a succession from pioneer forest to climax forest can start again after the reservoir has drained.

Beech forests are the end point of spontaneous forest evolution, they form the climax vegetation in places that are not too dry, too warm or too wet. If nature were to take its course, the beech would cover most of our continent. Old, almost untouched beech forests are extremely rare in Europe today and are mainly found in places that are difficult to exploit or develop. Compared to the rest of the world, beech forests are among the seriously endangered habitats in Europe, even though the beech as a species is not endangered. For this reason, the few remaining old and untouched European beech forests that have not or hardly been changed by humans have been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This cross-border heritage includes 94 sub-areas in 18 countries. Since the end of the last ice age, the European beech has spread from a few isolated refuges in the Alps, Carpathians, Dinarides, the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees over a large part of the continent in a relatively short time, a few thousand years. The success of the beech throughout Europe is due to its adaptability and tolerance to different climatic, geographical and physical conditions. These forests contain an invaluable population of old trees and a genetic reservoir of beech and many other species that depend on these old forest areas. Throughout the year and during their life cycle, beech forests undergo different stages and processes. From the germination of young trees that grow close together in their first years, to decades of competition for space, water and light, the growth into impressive trees, and finally the decay and breakdown. Without human intervention, these natural processes unfold in an undisturbed way. Together, over tens and even hundreds of years, these typical wilderness phenomena shape the forest. Please note: this information is a general description of the UNESCO World Heritage site, which is located elsewhere in the Sonian Forest. In 2017, five parts (located in Ticton, Joseph Zwaenepoel and Grippensdelle) of the Sonian Forest were recognised as UNESCO World Heritage as part of the ‘Ancient and pristine beech forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe’. It is the only UNESCO natural world heritage site in Belgium.

A beech tree likes shade in its youth. They can establish themselves in the shade of other more light-loving tree species. Conversely, no tree is able to establish itself under a closed canopy of beeches. We therefore call the beech the climax tree species. It closes off the natural forest succession and can maintain it for a very long time, provided that no large-scale and brutal disturbances disrupt its kingdom. This place is very typical of the forest management of the Sonian Forest: all the trees are the same age and of the same species. In this part you see monospecific forest management, they are all beeches.

Forests are central to the fight against the triple global crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. They cover nearly a third of the Earth’s land surface and are home to the vast majority of terrestrial biodiversity. Despite efforts to halt deforestation and restore degraded areas, forest cover continues to shrink. Since the end of the last great ice age, about 10,000 years ago, 57% of the Earth’s habitable land was covered by forests. Over the past 10,000 years, a third of the world’s forests have been lost, an area twice the size of the United States. Half of that loss has occurred in the past century. Forests are essential to combating climate change. They contain 662 billion tons of carbon, more than half of the world’s total carbon stock in soils and vegetation. Societies derive significant benefits from forests and are heavily dependent on them. It is estimated that more than half of global gross domestic product is heavily dependent on what ecosystems provide. The forestry sector contributes more than USD 1.52 trillion to global gross domestic product and employs 33 million people. Yet many people living close to forests do not benefit sufficiently from them. Although 75 percent of rural residents live within 1 km of a forest, they have little right to those forests. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of all forests are state-owned, while 80 percent of people live in extreme poverty in rural areas. The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on forest value chains and trade in early 2020. Most sectors have recovered quickly, but the risk of future pandemics remains. Forest management is well-positioned to play a key role in a green recovery.

Wetlands face major challenges from the triple global crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, but they are also part of the solution. Wetlands are among the most important ecosystems on Earth. They provide refuge for wildlife, support 40% of the world’s biodiversity, clean up pollution and store significant amounts of carbon. Wetlands, such as bogs and peatlands, are the silent heroes in the fight against the climate crisis because they store more carbon than any other ecosystem. For example, peatlands contain twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests. In addition, wetlands absorb excess water and prevent flooding and drought elsewhere, which is crucial for communities adapting to a changing climate. Water bodies are a key ally in our fight against biodiversity loss. More than 140,000 species – including 55% of all fish species – depend on freshwater habitats for survival. Freshwater species are important to local ecosystems as they provide food and income for people and play a key role in controlling flooding and erosion. Yet, species in freshwater habitats are becoming extinct at a faster rate than species on land or in the sea. Nearly one-third of all freshwater biodiversity is at risk of extinction due to invasive species, pollution, habitat loss and overexploitation. To slow the pollution crisis, we need to protect and restore wet and humid habitats. Wetlands can improve water quality by removing pollutants from surface waters by trapping sediments, removing nutrients. They act as buffers or sponges that can absorb, store and process pollutants. They have enormous potential to address the triple crisis. By strengthening wetland protection, we are investing in people’s health and well-being. Food security, water security and health benefits estimated at over USD 47 trillion per year are possible through better wetland management. To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, we need to protect and restore wetlands. Coastal wetlands store carbon up to 55 times faster than tropical rainforests. Wetlands contain about 12 percent of the world’s carbon stock. Draining them would release millions of tons of CO2 and other harmful substances, such as arsenic. Wetlands also provide additional resilience to extreme weather events for local communities.