RapportFondation_2026_V03 Pages LIGHT EN - Flipbook - Page 40
Protect & restore
2025 REPORT
HIGH FENS
© ULiège - SSHF
Strenghtening for the conservation
of the black grouse
An iconic species of the High Fens
AMOUNT COMMITED TO DATE: € 15.862
2015 > PRESENT
The Black grouse nearly disappeared from Belgium, becoming a victim of
hunting and habitat destruction. This iconic bird is famous for its spectacular
courtship displays, during which males fan out their lyre-shaped tails and
make distinctive calls to attract females. The High Fens population is the
last remaining one in Belgium, but the population had fallen far too low to
survive without intervention (in 2015, only two males and one female were
recorded). To save this emblematic species, a reinforcement programme was
launched. Coordinated by the University of Liège with support from numerous
partners, including the Pairi Daiza Foundation, the project initially relied on
translocation. Since 2017, several dozen birds have been translocated each
spring from Sweden, where the species is abundant, and released into the
High Fens. After each capture, the birds are measured, weighed, ringed,
and some are fitted with GPS transmitters, allowing their movements to be
closely monitored.
© ULiège - SSHF
AIM OF THE PROGRAMME:
REBUILD A STABLE POPULATION OF 40 MALE BLACK GROUSE IN THE HIGH FENS
RECENT PROJECT ACHIEVEMENTS:
IN 2025, 23 BLACK GROUSE FROM SWEDEN WERE RELEASED IN THE HIGH FENS TO
STRENGTHEN THE LOCAL POPULATION. MONITORING DATA CONFIRM THE SUCCESS OF THE
TRANSLOCATION, WITH HIGHER SURVIVAL RATES AND A MARKED DECLINE IN MORTALITY
WITHIN THE RESERVE. THESE EARLY SIGNS OF A LASTING ESTABLISHMENT ACROSS SEVERAL
AREAS OFFER TANGIBLE HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE SPECIES IN THE HEART OF THE FENS.
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