Wetlands at work: A visit to GREENHOOD’s Luikebeek pilot in Belgium
In September 2026, partners from the Rhine, Meuse & Scheldt Basin demo-region welcomed colleagues from the Aquatuur research project for a visit to the treatment wetland at the Luikebeek in Staden.
About Aquatuur
Aquatuur is an Interreg Vlaanderen–Nederland project bringing together nine partners from Flanders and the Province of Zeeland, including VITO, Ghent University, the Flanders Environment Agency (VMM), the Flemish Land Agency (VLM), Inagro, the Province of Zeeland, HZ University of Applied Sciences, and the Municipality of Noord-Beveland. Together, these partners investigate how green-blue solutions can contribute to more climate-resilient water systems, with a focus on increasing freshwater availability and improving water quality.
The visit took place as part of Aquatuur's semi-annual partner meeting, offering a natural opportunity to connect the two projects' complementary work on nature-based solutions and surface water quality.
What took place?
Around ten participants visited the treatment wetland at the Luikebeek, a GREENHOOD pilot site that addresses diffuse nutrient pollution by receiving nitrate-rich water from the Luikebeek and using natural treatment processes to reduce nitrate concentrations before the water continues downstream. The site illustrates how nature-based solutions can be deployed at a catchment scale to tackle water quality challenges.
The visit provided an opportunity to showcase GREENHOOD’s work at the Luikebeek and to exchange knowledge on the potential of nature-based solutions for improving surface water quality and climate resilience, themes that sit at the heart of both projects.
Looking ahead
This visit reinforces the Rhine, Meuse & Scheldt Basin’s role as a living reference case for nature-based nutrient management, one that is increasingly attracting interest from across the region and beyond. The connection with Aquatuur is particularly fitting: just as GREENHOOD’s demo-region spans Belgium and the Netherlands, Aquatuur brings together partners from Flanders and the Province of Zeeland, a cross-border collaboration that mirrors the same logic of shared water systems and shared solutions. It is precisely this kind of aligned, cross-border partnership that accelerates the uptake of nature-based approaches at the scale they are needed.