De Groote Peel National Park
De Groote Peel is located about 15 km (9 mi) southeast of the city of Eindhoven, in the province of Noord-Brabant, in southern Netherlands. The site is used for sheep herding and forestry. Groote Peel offers a landscape that goes from inaccessible marsh crowds, brezal lands, and forests. The soil is poor. A small scale project has started for the restoration of the raised bog.
It is part of a raised bog area, including marshland, open pools, channels, and heathland. In 1985, it was established as a national park. The site includes a National Park (Groote Peel: 1,340 ha [3,311 acres]); a Natural Monument (also Groote Peel: also 1,340 ha [3,311 acres]); and Nature Reserves (Groote Peel, 985 ha [2,433 acres] and Astense Peel, 404 ha [998 acres]). The area is important for breeding waterbirds. It was named an EU Special Protection Area for wild birds in 1986. Of special botanical interest are the former peat holes, which contain many nationally endangered and rare plant species.
We would like to thank Marion Lubbers, of Groote Peel National Park for providing information for this page.
(This page was updated in November 2012.)
