Chevetogne Natural Infrastructure

Programme

Landscape intervention on 4 ha

In the 1970s, rising mass tourism led to the draining of a site nestled in the heart of a 600-hectare estate, by channelling two streams, the Molinia and the Mivau, creating an artificial environment. Fifty years on, the challenge is to rediscover the natural characteristics of this land by finding a balance between welcoming visitors and restoring a semi-natural wetland living environment. To achieve this, the road that used to cut through the estate was replaced by a submerged ford, and the stream beds were realigned to ensure that the land would once again be irrigated and reclaimed by the flora and fauna. Appropriate differentiated management methods have also been set up for each biotope. Developing the site in an environmentally friendly way also leads to a gentler approach for the public. It is a semi-natural landscape, a meeting point between man and nature, designed to provide visitors with a better balanced relationship with the environment, while offering congenial access on foot by creating paths and appropriate play equipment. The reconstituted nature initiates a new form of coexistence between two worlds. This project also bears witness to the gradual paradigm shift among managers of this kind of space, who are now being led to combine profitability, enjoyment and respect for the natural environment.

Anne Norman