The Lippenbroek is a former polder in the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

freshwater part of the

Schelde The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

-estuary, currently functioning as a pilot project for the restoration of intertidal habitat in a densely populated

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...

. The area of 10 ha, situated on the territory of the Belgian community of Hamme, started functioning as a flood control area (FCA) in March 2006. Through a construction of sluices, the area is in close contact with the river Schelde: water is flowing in at high tide, and out at low tide. The sluices are designed to obtain a water regime in the area, comparable to the one in natural mudflats and (freshwater)

tidal marsh A tidal marsh (also known as a type of "tidal wetland") is a marsh found along rivers, coasts and estuaries which floods and drains by the tidal movement of the adjacent estuary, sea or ocean. Tidal marshes are commonly zoned into lower marshes ( ...

es along the Schelde. In this way, the Lippenbroek combines a safety function (protection against extreme spring tide) with a nature development function. In the framework of the Belgian Sigmaplan, aimed at protecting the whole river basin against floods, more areas along the Schelde will be designed similarly. The area has also been seen as a model for flood prevention internationally. The controlled reduced tide procedure has made the area an improved habitat for eels.Van Liefferinge, C., Dillen, A., Ide, C., Herrel, A., Belpaire, C., Mouton, A., de Deckere, E. and Meire, P. (2012), The role of a freshwater tidal area with controlled reduced tide as feeding habitat for European eel (Anguilla anguilla, L.). Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 28: 572–581. doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0426.2012.01963.x

References

{{coord, 51, 05, 11, N, 4, 10, 20, E, region:BE_type:landmark_source:kolossus-nlwiki, display=title Ecological experiments Research projects Hamme