Otters in the old town?! Mechelen’s journey to reconnect people, animals and plants along the river Binnendijle.
The City of Mechelen is currently reimagining what it means to be a nature-positive city. Along the Binnendijle, a tidal river running through the heart of the city, the WATSUPS project is not only rethinking the connections of public spaces between street level and the water but also asking a fundamental question: What does it mean to make a medieval city centre a liveable space for people and other species?
Building on the work of the WATSUPS Citizen Assembly’s basic principles (read more here and listen to this podcast episode), a recent biodiversity study adds yet another layer of requirements for the redevelopment. The study identifies 16 key species whose needs, behaviours and preferences will guide the city's transformation along the river. WATSUPS takes significant steps towards aligning Mechelen’s local ambitions with the European Union’s broader biodiversity and urban greening agendas. With WATSUPS, Mechelen is emerging as a pioneering city where a shared future for all species is currently being shaped.
Nature does not stop at the city limits
The biodiversity crisis does not receive as much attention as human-made climate change. However, globally, biodiversity is declining at a rate unprecedented in human history1. This loss threatens ecosystems that are the basis for human wellbeing, from food, water security to climate regulations.
When considering biodiversity, we often imagine remote wildernesses untouched by human influence. Yet, urban areas are home to a surprising diversity of species of animals and plants. Many are well-adapted to urban conditions, such as falcons, wall-dwelling plants and pollinators in microhabitats created by green infrastructure. Urban diversity is dynamic, resilient, and increasingly essential in responding to global challenges. However, the fragmentation of natural areas and the lack of connectivity are important challenges to conserving and supporting biodiversity.
In recent years, the conversation on urban biodiversity and nature in cities has gained momentum, driven by commitments on the global and EU level2 to the national and city level. Increasing the quality and connectivity of green and blue spaces in urban areas and ensuring biodiversity-inclusive planning have become central targets for urban policy worldwide.
Cities are well-positioned to respond to the biodiversity crisis as providing the conditions for urban nature to thrive will also enhance the quality of life for urban residents, including public health, social cohesion, and climate adaptation. In this sense, biodiversity should be a cornerstone of any future-proof urban development.
The Binnendijle: connecting nature through the heart of Mechelen
The idea of the City of Mechelen is easier said than done (read about the challenges further in this article): Reimagining the Binnendijle as a green-blue corridor linking natural areas located just outside of the city. WATSUPS is restoring access to the water at several key points with different use functions for the residents of Mechelen including animals and plants. The idea is to shape a safe passage and liveable spaces for urban wildlife. Besides the larger reconstruction at various sites, even seemingly little actions like restoring the historic quay walls (many are up for renovation) are considered valuable habitats for plants and nesting opportunities for birds. The Binnendijle is currently undergoing a major redesign process for the people of Mechelen, but also for the more-than-human residents.
A vision for Mechelen’s Binnendijle: A home for otters, bats, kingfisher, lizards, eels, wall fern and wild bees
Once fully implemented, the Binnendijle eco-corridor through the city centre of Mechelen will benefit a variety of species, including mammals, insects, reptiles, fish and plants. All of them have different needs and requirements towards the ecosystem, especially in a densely built city.
To ensure that these ‘more-than-human inhabitants’ feel at home along the river and will use it as a connector between natural habitats, the WATSUPS biodiversity study identifies 16 target species to plan for within the project. Each comes with special needs ranging from food sources, shelter to breeding and safety conditions to support them along the Binnendijle. The study is informing the activities of WATSUPS including the design of the various project sites. For example, recommendations for the target species include…
- House martins - need mud pools within 100-200m vicinity to build nests.
- Eels - needs sufficient hiding places along restored river banks with aquatic plants and underwater structures.
- Otters - need safe wildlife passage through the city by water network (rumour has it, that they usually avoid shopping streets on Saturdays)
- Bats - require limited light pollution in hunting areas and old trees for daytime naps.
- Wild bees - need green corridors with indigenous plants to collect nectar
- Lizards - would like restored historic walls and embankments and sunny structures for sunbathing.
- Wall ferns - prefer mortar instead of cement for restoration and renovation of old walls and really do not not like harsh cleaning agents.
It also includes all information relevant to the designers of the spaces along the river and those who are going to maintain them.
The WATSUPS biodiversity study includes a vision map for the target species in Mechelen (see below). This describes the potential areas in which the animals and plants (target species) might find the conditions they are looking for and what is required to create them. It also points out several steps such as improving the water quality, improving the ecological quality and, and bringing people and nature together (read on to find out more on that).
Together, all these requirements coming from animals and plants for urban projects might seem too vast to consider. Yet, they invite us to shift to a paradigm of including a multispecies lens, connecting to the more-than-human world, and essentially something humankind (at least in the global north) seems to have forgotten: Humans are part of nature and its ecosystem.
Awareness in Action: Citizen Science and Playful Education
Inviting biodiversity into a city needs more than infrastructural improvements. After all, otters and other “future inhabitants” like their waters clean and without garbage. That’s why connecting people with nature is key.
Beyond establishing the infrastructural connections between the public spaces and the water, the City of Mechelen aims to create a sense of belonging of their residents to nature and the more-than-human world. It aims to connect people mentally to the river and its biodiversity. For that reason, organising engaging and playful activities for city residents has been a strong part of WATSUPS.
Since summer 2024, the city has organised a BioBlitz and invites residents to map the biodiversity along the Binnendijle. A BioBlitz is a short-term survey event where participants work together to document as many species of plants, animals, fungi and other organisms as possible within a specific area. Overall, 669 species were spotted and reported via the ObsIdentify app by the Mechelaars, and almost 200 species were recorded for the first time. In 2025, the BioBlitz will enter its second edition to invite residents to walk along the river with open senses and become citizen scientists.
For the smaller ones (and those, like the author of this article) who like bingo can do the Dijle Bingo: a simple educational tool for young people. The aim is to spot the animals and plants as well as human artefacts (such as garbage) and cross them off on the bingo cards. Got bingo? Visit the City of Mechelen team during one of their public events and receive a tattoo of the project’s unofficial mascots: Germain, the duck and Oscar, the heron. The tattoos are temporary, in case you are concerned about children’s welfare.
These activities reflect the city’s ambition to reimagine its relationship with nature where biodiversity is not “just” protected but becomes part of the identity of the city by building connections and awareness among residents. Mechelen is building not only habitats for otters and other more-than-human species, it builds a culture of care, curiosity and connection.
Making biodiversity a driver for urban transformation – what is there for the citizens?
Addressing the biodiversity crisis by implementing measures throughout the city might be enough of a convincing argument for some to bring nature back to the city. Others might not be so ‘easily’ convinced. However, biodiversity in the city has many benefits for a city and its residents, including:
- Public health and wellbeing: Green and blue spaces (with various functionalities) are important to reduce stress, ensure mental well-being and boost cognitive development.3
- Climate resilience: wetlands, tree cover and restored riverbanks mitigate heat island effects and reduce the risks of stormwater, making Mechelen more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
- Education and engagement: Local urban biodiversity provides the basis for citizen science, school learning, fostering environmental literacy and building the connection to nature, which is essential for stewardship.4
- Social-inclusion: biodiversity-friendly urban design can help provide accessibility to environmental benefits in underserved neighbourhoods, bridging environmental and social inequalities. Projects like WATSUPS that are co-designed with communities promote a sense of ownership and inclusive city-making.5
- Economic and aesthetic value: Nature in cities and clever design can attract different people and businesses to the city, neighbourhoods and, bring new economic opportunities. However, in such projects, there is a risk of green gentrification, which is consciously mitigated by the project team in Mechelen (find out more in the next WATSUPS Analytical Article).
Otters in the old town? Not so fast!
Before you can spot otters taking the passage in Mechelen, a lot of work has to be done within WATSUPS and beyond. Biodiversity actions and activities that sound great on paper often collide with urban realities on the ground, and Mechelen is no exception. In the next months and years until the WATSUPS wraps up in 2027, the project team has a lot to do, including:
- Ensuring that the requirements and needs of the future more-than-human inhabitants find their way into the designs of the sites, including providing quiet zones for animals.
- Balancing stakeholder interests: Besides the needs and requirements of different species, the Binnendijle brings together many different interests, including boat owners, the Flemish Waterways (the organisation managing the waterways in Flanders), car owners living along the river, etc. The project team needs to combine many different perspectives in WATSUPS and needs to ensure that those of the more-than-human inhabitants are considered and secured.
- Improving the water quality of the Binnendijle by maintaining the flow of the river, reducing/eliminating sewage overflow into the river and solving the pleasure boat discharge issue.
- Create public awareness for the species living in and along the river; connecting people mentally with the river by using art and other media.
A lot to do for the remaining two years of WATSUPS. Look out on Portico for an upcoming podcast episode on the Binnendijle’s biodiversity and water quality and how WATSUPS will reshape the river into an ecological corridor.
Bibliography
1 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). (2019). Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services (E. S. Brondizio, J. Settele, S. Díaz, & H. T. Ngo, Eds.). IPBES Secretariat. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3831673
2 Convention on Biological Diversity. (2022, December 19). Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework: Decision adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity at its fifteenth meeting (CBD/COP/15/4). https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-04-en.pdf
3 World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe. (2016). Urban green spaces and health: A review of evidence. World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/345751
Marselle, M. R., Hartig, T., Cox, D. T. C., De Bell, S., Knapp, S., Lindley, S., ... & Gascón, M. (2019). Pathways linking biodiversity to human health: A conceptual framework. Environmental International, 130, 104923. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.104923
4 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2023). Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Core Writing Team: H. Lee & J. Romero, Eds.). Geneva, Switzerland: IPCC.
5 European Environment Agency. (2022). Who benefits from nature in cities? Social inequalities in access to urban green and blue infrastructure in Europe. Publications Office of the European Union. https://www.eea.europa.eu/downloads/803a2dd9755941439d2f70d5fa1d2e19/1675774183/who-benefits-from-nature-in.pdf
About this resource
The European Urban Initiative is an essential tool of the urban dimension of Cohesion Policy for the 2021-2027 programming period. The initiative established by the European Union supports cities of all sizes, to build their capacity and knowledge, to support innovation and develop transferable and scalable innovative solutions to urban challenges of EU relevance.
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