Forms of nature protection such as national parks and Natura 2000 sites
Preserving nature
In Belgium, the European Natura 2000 network covers 13 % of the national territory.
Integral or managed nature reserves are scattered across the country. In the Walloon Region these reserves cover around 10.000 ha.
In Belgium, the European Natura 2000 network covers 13 % of the national territory.
Integral or managed nature reserves are scattered across the country. In the Walloon Region these reserves cover around 10.000 ha.
Forest Certification
The SRFB, the Royal Forestry Society of Belgium, supports PEFC certification. This refers to the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification and is the world’s largest forest certification system, covering 70 % of the certified area in the world in 2010. In Wallonia, this covers 51 % of the forest area and 260 Belgian companies have already had their chain of control certified by the PEFC. The FSC, the Forestry Stewardship Council, is also present in the Flemish Region. Forest and CO2 Belgian forest stocks around 480 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (woody biomass, forest litter, dead wood and surface layer of soil). In addition, due to the removal of wood and its long-term use, the forest compensates for the annual CO2 emission of 800.000 cars! However, the most important feature of wood in relation to CO2 is in fact substitution. Wood used in construction, furnishing, etc. replaces other materials, such as PVC, concrete or aluminium, which demand far more energy for their production. The same applies for wood used for energy, which replaces fossil fuels. |