Background Some 2000 years ago, the original mudflats along the Belgian coast were closed off by a dune belt, behind which an extensive area of peat bogs formed. Incursions by the sea during the Middle Ages caused this bog to become saline and left it covered with a fertile layer of mud. Converted to polders, the land has been used almost exclusively as pasture since then. The saline grasslands of the Uitkerkse Polder are of global importance for migrating geese and meadow birds, especially the pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) (about 95% of the Spitzbergen population winters here), lapwings (Vanellus vanellus), of which about 120 000 spend the winter here, and golden plovers (Pluvialis apricaria) - 100 000 wintering. This would be a superb nature area, had it not undergone a radical change, partly due to the past effects of national and EU agricultural policy. Since the 1960s, over 40% of the polder grasslands have been destroyed. Their micro-topography was levelled and large areas were drained, excessively manured or transformed into maize fields or high-yield grasslands. Local NGOs started the first conservation actions in the early 1990s and in 1999 Natuurpunt launched a first LIFE-Nature project to purchase and restore degraded grasslands. After restoration, contracts were made with local farmers to use these grasslands in a more sustainable way. Complementary to this LIFE-Nature project, the Flemish government improved the protection status of these grasslands and started its own restoration project in Zuienkerke-Meetkerke, the area south of the Uitkerkse Polder. The results of the LIFE-Nature project were so positive and farmers’ interest was so great that a follow-up LIFE-Nature application was submitted in 2002. Objectives Building on the achievements of its predecessor, this second LIFE-Nature project focused on the purchase and restoration of around 120 ha of deteriorated grassland. Objectives aimed to: convert arable fields to saline grasslands; reproduce original micro-topography and ditch patterns; excavate pools; and prepare grazing infrastructure. As this district is a major tourist area, the project also aimed to make good use of latent social and economic opportunities that were potentially available from the nature reserve. Results The project was completed successfully and achieved its aim of adding conservation value to the Uitkerkse Polder. Land acquistion increased the coverage of protected areas within the Polder’s nature reserve by 156.48 ha, of which 138.85 ha (exceeding the project target of 130 ha) was co-financed by LIFE. This extension of the nature reserve helped to improve habitat management by reducing fragmentation and allowing for an optimal management of large, coherent blocks of land. Following land purchases, practical start-up restoration and conservation works were undertaken on more than 100 ha. This resulted in the creation of a vast network of marshes and salty grasslands, comprising ditches, ponds, restored reed-banks, new naturally shaped canal banks, etc.. Impacts of these improved habitat features on breeding, resting and wintering birds have been monitored closely by the beneficiary, and have resulted in remarkable increases of local densities and breeding successes for many bird species. Socio-economic results have also been positive and these are attributed to increased tourist trade for local businesses linked to the new visitor centre and exhibition facilities that were co-financed by the LIFE project. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).