Parc naturel des Plaines de l'Escaut, Nature park in Hainaut, Belgium.
The Plaines de l'Escaut nature park covers wetlands, river systems, and farmland spread across the Hainaut region. The landscape forms a complex web of habitats where water, fields, and natural areas meet and overlap.
The park was created to protect wetlands and farmland shaped by the Escaut River over many centuries. Its establishment reflected a decision to safeguard traditional ways of farming in this river landscape.
The park serves as a space where visitors can experience how local farming traditions coexist with wild nature. You notice how the landscape reflects centuries of people living and working alongside water and wetlands.
Multiple walking and cycling paths wind through the park, with observation points placed along waterways for wildlife viewing. Spring and autumn are the most rewarding times to visit, when migratory birds pass through and the landscape is most alive.
The park functions as a research hub for tracking bird migration and environmental shifts in European wetlands. Scientists use its location to monitor how populations of migratory birds shift and adapt from year to year.
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