Krakeelduinen

Krakeelduinen is a compact but ecologically significant dune reserve in the municipality of De Panne, in West Flanders, right on the Belgian coast. The site forms part of the Natura 2000 network covering the coastal dune belt stretching from the IJzer estuary all the way to the Zwin, which gives a sense of how this whole stretch of coastline is treated as one continuous conservation priority. Krakeelduinen borders directly onto the Calmeynbos, and together with the French Dunes du Perroquet, the Westhoek reserve and the Calmeynbos itself, it forms the largest unbroken dune complex on the entire Belgian coast.

What is the history behind this site?

After the Second World War the area was used for drinking-water extraction, since freshwater lenses naturally accumulate beneath coastal dune systems. That extraction stopped in 2009, specifically to let the dunes become wetter again and return to a more natural hydrological state. It was a decision that reshaped the reserve fairly quickly — the terrain began rehydrating through rainfall and groundwater, favoring the return of the damp, grey-dune vegetation typical of this coastline.

Who manages the area today?

Krakeelduinen is owned and managed by Aquaduin, the regional water utility, which oversees the reserve's 52 hectares. As part of that management, sections of paved and concrete pathways were removed so that sand could once again drift freely under the wind — a process that is essential for a healthy dune ecosystem, since it continually exposes fresh sand surfaces and creates habitat for pioneer plants and insects that depend on bare, shifting ground.

Why are sheep grazing here?

A distinctive feature of the reserve's management is a fenced grazing area of roughly 20 hectares, where Scottish Blackface sheep graze freely. Extensive grazing is a widely used conservation tool in Western European dune reserves: the animals keep grasses and scrub from overrunning the open sandy patches that many rare dune plants and invertebrates depend on, preventing the kind of unchecked vegetation growth that would otherwise stabilize — and effectively sterilize — the shifting sand.

What can visitors do at Krakeelduinen?

The area is open to visitors, crossed by marked walking and cycling trails that connect to the neighboring Calmeynbos and the Westhoek reserve, forming an extensive network of routes through the dunes and woodland around De Panne. This makes Krakeelduinen a natural starting point or waypoint for a longer walk through the whole dune complex along Belgium's western coast, rather than an isolated pocket of nature to be visited on its own.

Frequently asked questions

Is Krakeelduinen a standalone reserve or part of something larger? It is separately owned and managed (by Aquaduin), but ecologically and physically it forms one continuous dune complex together with the Calmeynbos, Westhoek and the French Dunes du Perroquet.

Why did water extraction end in 2009? To allow the dunes to rehydrate and return to more natural, damp conditions that support the typical dune flora and fauna of the region.

Is the reserve fenced off because of the grazing sheep? Only the roughly 20-hectare grazing enclosure itself is fenced; the rest of the reserve remains open to walkers and cyclists along the marked trails.