On Sunday 23 March, the nature guides of IVN Mark & Donge walk through the watery and wonderfully beautiful Markdal.

This weekend marks World Water Day. Worldwide attention is then paid to water. Water is our friend and enemy. Water is our basic necessity of life, because without it there is no life on earth. Especially with climate change, water is also an enemy. Sea level rise and extreme rainfall cause serious, sometimes disastrous problems. In het Markdal, these problems do not play so strongly, but flooding has been frequent. The Mark was a strongly meandering river until about 1970. Then it was canalised, deepened and widened to drain more water faster to prevent flooding in the city. Between Breda and the Belgian border, some 20 meanders were cut off and excavated, with only a few remaining as a 'dead arm'.

However, the rapid drainage proved disastrous for the groundwater level and caused desiccation, from which the surrounding natural areas suffered greatly. Moreover, periodic flooding in the city of Breda persisted anyway.

Some 20 years ago, the valley between the Reeptiend and Ginneken was resurfaced, with the aim of making the stream meander again, storing and retaining more water and thus also initiating nature restoration. Wide strips of arable land and intensively grazed and fertilised pastures have been excavated. The valley now looks very wide, with grasslands and puddle wetlands. It has become a beautiful, green and water-rich landscape.

In the steep banks of the restored meanders, bank swallows and kingfishers breed every year. A pair of storks discovered the Markdal many years ago. They have already raised many young on the roof of the Grote Hoeve, the district office of the Forestry Commission.

Registration is possible until the day of the walk. After registration, you will receive information about the departure point.

The walk starts at 13:30 and lasts until about 15:30.

More information and the registration form can be found on the IVN Mark & Donge website under Activities.