Otter's return to Flanders highlights shared threat with wolves: Road traffic
The otter, long absent from Flanders, was recently spotted in Willebroek - raising hopes of a cautious comeback. But like wolves, which have become established in parts of Belgium, otters now face a major threat: road traffic.
Considered locally extinct since the 1980s, the otter is now making a cautious return to Belgium, thanks to improved water quality and wetland restoration efforts led by WWF and its partners. But conservationists warn that road traffic could become a major threat to its survival - a problem already evident in the Netherlands.
There, despite a more stable otter population, an estimated 25% of individuals are killed by vehicles each year. Experts warn that Belgium could face similar mortality rates unless urgent action is taken to improve safe passage between habitats. To address this, WWF is identifying high-risk areas and promoting measures such as wildlife underpasses, adapted bridge structures and reduced speed zones to ensure that restored habitats do not become ecological traps.
Wolf protection
It's not unusual for wildlife in Belgium to be threatened by traffic. This is also the case for the wolf, a species that returned to the country in 2018. Of the 28 pups born to wolf Noëlla in Limburg, 18 have died in road accidents. Political parties like Groen are calling for more systematic adaptation of infrastructure to protect large carnivores.
Traffic is not the only threat to wolves - reducing their protection is. This week, the European Parliament will vote on the wolf's protection status under the Habitats Directive. The species has already been downgraded from "strictly protected" to "protected" under the Bern Convention in December 2024, at the EU's request.
If the European Parliament votes to reduce wolf protection, it would be the first major change to the Habitats Directive since 1992, making it easier for member states to manage populations. The otter is also listed as a European Protected Species. It receives the highest level of protection - making it illegal to capture, harm, disturb or destroy its breeding or resting sites.
#FlandersNewsService | © ARTERRA
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