Citizens' committee to deliver 22 recommendations on biodiversity to parliament

Green roofs, cycle paths between the Brussels green zones and a 'black network' that has to limit the lighting in the city between certain hours are among the 22 recommendations to be presented by the Citizens' Committee on Biodiversity on Tuesday, Bruzz reports.

Brussels residents have worked together with 15 members of parliament in a joint committee on biodiversity after concerns were raised over the future of the natural reserve on the Josaphat site in Schaerbeek.

Part of the reserve will be used for housing under new plans, but petitions from pressure groups have led to the topic being debated in parliament and parts of the natural habitat are now expected to be preserved. After weeks of debate, 22 recommendations for further biodiversity initiatives around the capital have emerged.

Firstly, the consultation committee wants a clear vision and a strategy in relation to biodiversity, based on scientific research. In addition, the committee wants the concept of 'biodiversity' to be included in the Brussels Spatial Planning Code (Cobat) so that it can be taken into account in urban planning, building and renovation.

"The legislative framework in the field of spatial planning is currently inadequate,” the committee says in a statement. “It protects the already protected spaces, but not the actual green spaces such as the wastelands."

Stop building in flood-prone zones

In addition, the committee does not want further construction to be allowed in flood-prone zones. Collective gardens or vegetable gardens should also be created for citizens who do not have a garden or balcony, and citizens' initiatives on biodiversity should be encouraged with premiums and eco vouchers.

In addition, there should be mandatory training on biodiversity for professionals in the urban planning sector.

The citizens' committee also recommends greening the public space as much as possible. For example, there should be more vegetation on the "1,800 hectares of unused flat roofs", and carports and car parks must also be utilised in this way. The green spaces of the Abbey of La Cambre, the Bois de la Cambre, the Ixelles ponds and the Place Flagey must be connected to each other with bicycle and footpaths.

The consultation committee also wants to tackle light pollution. They want to reduce the indoor and outdoor lighting of buildings, as well as electric billboards. A plan for a 'black network' must also ensure that the strength of the lighting decreases during certain hours.

Dead fish found floating on surface of canal

The canal zone also needs to be overhauled. Just last week, thousands of dead fish floated to the surface. The consultation committee wants to install more vegetated rafts and insect hotels. They also want a restriction on boat use at certain hours.

Car traffic must also be reduced, for example by increasing Park+Ride car parks and car-free Sundays, but also by encouraging car sharing, creating car-free zones and opposing the expansion of the large Ring Road.

The 14th recommendation concerns the Josaphat site, which forms the basis of the commission’s creation. The parliamentary report recommends that "the existing area be preserved with a special heritage status in order to make the fallow land an example of biodiversity for Brussels, capital of Belgium and Europe."

But that version still needs to be slightly adjusted, parliamentarians say. In the recommendations to be proposed on Tuesday, it will state the following aim: 'protect undeveloped land (in general) as much as possible'.