Grootschalig natuurherstel in de Kraenepoel, een geëutrofieerd ondiep meer te Aalter (Oost-Vlaanderen)

Eutrophication is one of the main reasons for the ecological degradation of many freshwater pools, ponds and lakes worldwide. As a result many macrophygtes, typical for nutrient-poor conditions, together with thier associated algal, invertebrate and fish communities are becoming rare and some even face extinction. Increased public support for the preservation, restoration and creation of nature reserves has stimulated efforts to stop further deterioration of lake ecosystems and abate the negative effects of eutrophication. Unfortunately, reduction of the external nutrient loading alone is not sufficient in many cases to induce a reversal to clear water status and additional tools for lake restoration must be applied. In this paper, we introduce the large-scale restoration project of the eutrophied lake Kraenepoel and focus on some short to long-term changes of its water quality, flora (macrophytes and desmids) and fauna (waterfleas) using historical data and observations from before and after its restoration.