Upper Biesland Polder

1
Upper Biesland Polder

• Regional urbanization and city fringe outdoor
  recreation
• Polder system and (surface) water control
• Organic dairy farming
• Wildlife in an agricultural setting (re)create
  habitats
• Further steps ...

2
1. Regional urbanization
1830-1957
3
(Sub) urbanization in the nineties and presently
4
What might this represent?
5
Attempt to compare between European three city
areas ...
6
A more truthful picture
7
Westland greenhouse district
8
Greenbelt left in the region on the eastern side
of Delft
Upper Biesland polder
Lower Biesland polder
9
City fringe park De Delftse Hout (started 1968)
UpperBiesland polder in 1997 not yet defined
10
2. Polder system

• Geological structure
• Polders and polders
• Rainfall patterns and water management
• Ground water use and drop of ground levels (and
  if you like the Dutch myth)

11
Geological structure
12
Two kinds of polders
Why would the left one be deeper than the other?
?
?
?
13
Average monthly rainfall surplus
14
Ground level drop

• Oxidation of peat especially N-gas and NO-gasses
  (up to 10 mm/y drop)
• Continental plate movement (lt 1 mm/y)
• Groundwater extraction ( 1 mm/y)
• Other mining (oil)

15
Ground water extraction ground level drop
(appr. 1 mm/y)
16
3. Organic dairy farming

• Breeding less vulnerable cattle
• Low input low output approach
• Opportunities for wildlife, outdoor recreation
  and (spatially restricted) closing of production
  and consumption cycle

17
Input ...

• Non-organic fertilizers, only from within
• Smart utilization of natural resources (i.e.
  oxidation of peat, compost)
• No preventive drugs for cattle
• No fomula-1 race for output per animal

18
Output ...

• Higher yield (in ) per liter milk and kg meat
• Landscape and wildlife services (green
  services)
• Educational services
• Water management services) purification, storage
  of excess water, dynamic water levels

19
4. Habitat and wildlife enhancement

• Diversification on grasslands
• Water meadows
• Aquatic nature in ditches and on banks
• Marshes
• Woodlands, fencing by piles of branches, woodland
  fringes
• Pond (hydrologically isolated from other surface
  water)

20
Plan
pond
woodlands
public footpath
purification marsh
Lower Biesland Polder
water meadow
21
Biodiversity on grasslands
campion lousewort cynosurus hordeum sec.
22
Nesting birds
K lapwing Gr black-tailed godwit TU
redshank SE oyster catcher
23
Common wintering birds
wigeon
teal
24
Water meadow
25
redshank
black-tailed godwit
lapwing
stork
26
Marshes
27
Ditches and banks
28
Purification marsh (before planting reed and
sedges)
29
Woodlands,two colony breeders
heron
cormorant
30
Pond for (especially) amphibians
Frogs, toads, newts
31
5. Next steps ...The lower Biesland polder
National pilot project for sustainable dairy
farming
Presentation file downloadable from
http//mail.vssd.nl/hlf/UpperBieslandpolder2.ppt