Flanders Battles Drought, Heat Risks, Closes Dolphinarium

Flanders is taking significant action on multiple environmental fronts, from combating drought with large-scale wetland restoration to addressing unequal heat risks and closing the long-controversial Bruges dolphinarium. Three developments this week highlight the region’s evolving approach to climate adaptation and animal welfare.

Wetland Restoration: 2 Billion Litres of Water Saved

Nature conservation organization Natuurpunt has announced that its Wetland Plan (Wetlandplan), launched in 2024, is already enabling over 2 billion litres of water to infiltrate Flemish soil annually — equivalent to nearly 1,000 Olympic swimming pools. The project aims to restore 1,500 hectares of wetlands across 18 areas in all five Flemish provinces, with 300 hectares already restored after two years, according to VRT NWS.

“Natuurpunt has succeeded in letting the amount of water from nearly 1,000 Olympic swimming pools infiltrate the soil annually,” said spokesperson Dirk Vandervelden. “Otherwise, that water would flow directly to the sea via our waterways.”

The initiative comes at a critical time. More than 75% of Flanders’ historical wetlands have disappeared since the 1950s, systematically drained for agriculture and industry. The restored wetlands provide multiple benefits: they act as buffers against flooding, raise groundwater levels during drought, and create local cooling effects of up to 5°C, with impacts felt up to two kilometres away.

Hydrologist Patrick Willems of KU Leuven called the project “an important action to arm Flanders simultaneously against flooding and drought.” He noted that while the previous Flemish government restored approximately 5,000 hectares through its “Blue Deal” program, current budgetary constraints make private-sector initiatives like Natuurpunt’s essential. The project is financed through European funds (Life, Interreg) and private investors including AB InBev and Coca-Cola.

Heat Vulnerability: Unequal Climate Impacts

A new heat vulnerability study from VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research), commissioned by the Flemish Department of Care, reveals that rising summer heat does not affect all Flemish communities equally. The Heat Vulnerability Map scores neighbourhoods from 0 to 10 based on heat exposure and population vulnerability.

The findings are stark. Between June 18 and July 3, 2026, Belgium recorded 2,000 excess deaths — a 48% excess mortality rate — making it the deadliest heat wave since records began in 2000, as reported by HLN.

Major cities including Antwerp, Ghent, Leuven, and Mechelen score highest on vulnerability. The urban heat island effect makes cities 3 to 5°C warmer at night than surrounding rural areas. “Our bodies can handle quite a lot, but when the heat persists and you can’t cool down at night, you can’t recover,” explained VITO researcher Els Verachtert.

Socioeconomic factors compound the problem. Poorer neighbourhoods with older housing, less green space, and higher concentrations of vulnerable populations — young children and the elderly — face the greatest risks. The Brussels periphery municipality of Drogenbos scores 8 or higher across all its neighbourhoods.

Looking ahead, projections for 2050 are alarming. Climate change alone could triple heat-related deaths, while an aging population could double expected mortality. The study estimates that heat-related loss of healthy life years in Flanders will rise from 2,500 to 13,000 per summer by 2050 — and this conservative figure only counts premature mortality, not hospitalizations or chronic health effects.

Bruges Dolphinarium to Close by 2037

In a landmark animal welfare decision, the Flemish government has formally approved the closure of the Bruges dolphinarium (Boudewijn Seapark) by 2037. Minister of Animal Welfare Ben Weyts (N-VA) announced that the closure scenario will be enshrined in a new decree to be submitted to the Flemish Parliament, as reported by RTBF.

“It is simply no longer justifiable to confine these animals to limited basins solely to have them perform tricks for people,” Weyts said. “In the wild, these intelligent animals have a habitat of hundreds of square kilometres. We dare to choose animal welfare in Flanders, even when it goes against commercial interests.”

The decision, first announced in November 2024, includes an immediate ban on breeding or importing new dolphins. Operators have until 2037 to relocate the remaining dolphins and reorient their economic activities. A mandatory new outdoor basin, required by 2027, will be financially amortized by the closure date.

The ban on keeping dolphins in captivity does not apply to specialized rescue centres that temporarily care for injured, sick, or stranded cetaceans for rehabilitation and release — though they cannot exhibit them or organize commercial shows.

A Common Thread: Proactive Environmental Governance

These three stories reflect Flanders’ broader approach to environmental challenges: proactive adaptation through wetland restoration, data-driven policy through heat vulnerability mapping, and regulatory action on animal welfare despite commercial interests. Together, they illustrate a region grappling with the complex realities of climate change while making deliberate choices about its environmental future.