During the summer, an important step forward was taken in Belgium’s marine restoration efforts: as part of the Belreefs project, more than 200,000 young flat oysters were released onto the seabed approximately 30 kilometres off the Belgian coast.
This effort, led by the Belgian Marine Environment Service (FPS Public Health), aims to re-establish native oyster beds that almost entirely vanished since the 19th century due to overfishing, intense seabed disturbance and parasite infection. The Belreefs initiative stands as one of Belgium’s federal measures responding to European policies for improving the environmental health of marine ecosystems, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the Nature Restoration Regulation. Belreefs is a collaboration between Jan De Nul, the Institute of Natural Sciences, Shells & Valves, and Mantis Consulting.
It is supported by the LIFE “Belgium for Biodiversity” project, an initiative designed to strengthen biodiversity across Belgium.
