The Largest River Revamp in the Region Is Happening Here

The largest river-restoration project in Europe is taking place at Meuse River in the Netherlands, thus changing the entire landscape for the good of ecosystems, biodiversity, and the economy.

“I know how good it is for biodiversity, but for 99% of people that is not at the forefront of their minds,” explains Wouter Helmer, co-founder of Rewilding Europe which was leading the imposing project. “In the end it is all about people. If they like it, there is no turning back.”

The $550 million Border Meuse project – mainly paid by companies wishing to extract sand and gravel from the riverbed – is set to undo 500 years of world-renowned Dutch water engineering along 50 kilometers stretching from Maastricht to Roosteren. Planning started in 1990, and work debuted in 2007 – including relandscaping whole catchments, widening the river, lowering riverbanks, and expanding the floodplains – which should be completed by 2027. Sand martens, blackcaps, stonechats, skylarks, and swallows can be found in the area, as well as otters, beavers, and wolves. Biodiversity is booming, and people are welcome to walk along the river, given that they stay on the designated footpaths. The Meuse region benefits from $1 billion of revenue with its two million visitors annually.