The restoration of the Gelderse poort allowed for the rehabilitation of a key delta ecosystem while also allowing for increased flood defenses for nearby communities.

Nature-based Intervention:

This project represents a restored floodplain of around 5000 ha located at the top of a delta. This intervention was a a collaboration between companies excavating clay from the riverbed and NGOs. As the clay was extracted the NGOs would remove fences from the area and implemented naturalistic grazing regimes. Other areas were acquired and added to these excavated plots in order to create greater interlinkages within the rewilded area. Dams were removed and 50 houses and 10 farms were relocated to allow for natural flow dynamics. Free-roaming horses and Galloway cattle were added to the landscape to facilitate the naturalistic grazing regimes. The project also helped reintroduce key species to the landscape such as beaver (Castor fiber), otter (Lutra lutra), and sturgeon (Acipenser sturio).

Overview of context and outcomes:

This region is highly prone to flooding and is located near the city of Nijmegen. The project started in the early 1990s and slowly grew over time, until having the management handed over to the government in 2009. The project continues to be run under a naturalistic rewilding strategy. The area has also become a popular recreation area with the site reportedly having over 1 million visitors a year.