Gelderse Poort Floodplain Restoration & Rewilding, Gelderland, The Netherlands

The intervention restored a large floodplain located in the upstream section of the Rhine-Meuse delta, by converting agricultural land into dynamic river landscapes managed through rewilding. Implementation combined land reallocation, clay excavation aligned with river restoration objectives, and measures to restore natural water flow and grazing. The restoration process took roughly three decades, moving from initial small pilot plots to a rewilding landscape of approximately 5,000 hectares.

Land acquisition and reallocation were central to the development of this project. In the late 1980s, a regional NGO federation partnered with farmers to relaunch a land reallocation plan, and a commission was established to coordinate negotiations and embed rewilding principles in landscape restructuring. This reallocation process made agricultural land available for conversion and enabled a stepwise expansion from initial pilot sites to a connected floodplain system.

Early implementation began with small test plots used to trial rewilding approaches, followed by progressive scaling through agreements with neighbouring landowners. From the early 1990s onward, brick-manufacturing companies and conservation actors worked in parallel to excavate clay while renaturalizing river landscapes, in line with the Living Rivers philosophy. As excavation progressed, NGOs removed fences to open up the floodplain and introduced naturalistic grazing using free-roaming horses (including konik horses in early phases) and Galloway cattle. Additional parcels were acquired and added to excavated areas to strengthen ecological interlinkages across the floodplain.

Physical river restoration measures were implemented to restore flow dynamics and increase floodwater storage capacity. Dams were removed and, to create space for more natural river behaviour, 50 houses and 10 farms were relocated. Managers also facilitated the reintroduction of key species, including beaver, otter and sturgeon, as part of the broader rewilding strategy.

The project applied adaptive management to address emerging constraints. As riverine forest regeneration and sand dune development began to restrict river conveyance, managers faced a choice between removing trees and modifying river morphology. They opted to widen restored river channels rather than cut the forest, maintaining rewilding principles while improving flow. Over time, the interaction between restored channels and dune formation generated a 5 km-long water gradient within the system.

Public access and engagement were built into implementation alongside ecological works. Managers promoted access to restored areas, established a Wilderness Café (2001), and delivered field-based education programmes that involved more than 25,000 schoolchildren. Governance responsibility shifted once the land allocation and restoration process was completed: in 2009, title and management were transferred to the State Forest Service (Staatsbosbeheer), which nowadays continues to manage the area using rewilding principles.