New nature zones safeguarded

16th of September 2015

The Raoul and Margaretha Kok-Krahé Fund was set up in 1997 for the purchase and management of nature zones in Campine that span parts of Belgium and the Netherlands. The ultimate aim of the project is to create cross-border nature reserves.

In 2015, the fund provided €80,000 to the Natuurpunt association for the purchase of two protected areas. One area covers part of the land through which run the Mark and the Merkske, two rivers of the Campine region, and a zone that the fund considers as a priority; the other is the Den Rooy estate in Meerle, in the municipality of Hoogstraten. The purchase of this private wooded area of 42 hectares provides an unimaginable opportunity for strengthening the safeguard of nature in the northern part of Campine. For the first time in 167 years, the general public now has access to these magnificent sites.