Recommendation in the spotlight: Bison in Bosland National Park
A pilot project on process-driven nature is underway in Bosland National Park. The aim is to give more space to natural processes. Grazing by wild large grazers is an important part of this. The use of bison is an option, given the positive impact that the species can have on creating and maintaining a varied forest landscape with open spaces.
The bison was almost extinct in Europe a few decades ago, but thanks to a breeding and reintroduction program in several European countries, the population has increased again. The use of bison in Bosland National Park can therefore also contribute to the conservation of the European population. In this recommendation, INBO investigated whether bison were present in Flanders in the past. There is no hard evidence for this, but that does not prove that bison did not occur in our country. Flanders was probably located on the western border of the area, and the animal was likely to have been present only in small numbers or occasionally. There is, however, evidence of the presence of the extinct ancestor of the bison, the steppe bison, which was present in our region until the last ice age.
Jan Van Uytvanck
>> Read the full recommendation (document in Dutch)
Image above: Bison in Knyszyn Forest, Poland