Bird protection society concerned about club night in Bois de la Cambre during breeding season

Vogelbescherming Vlaanderen (Bird Protection Flanders) is concerned about a large-scale event scheduled to take place in Bois de la Cambre on 24 May, which is in the middle of the breeding season.

The organisation is worried that the event will have a negative impact on fauna and biodiversity, especially as organiser Hangar is expecting about 10,000 people to attend.

Hangar has previously organised events at the foot of the Atomium, along the Brussels canalside, on the Place des Palais and in Cinquantenaire Park, choosing emblematic places in Brussels that are not typical club locations.

“Since the early days of Hangar, Bois de la Cambre has been on our wishlist of outdoor party locations,” founder Marvin Weymeersch told Bruzz.

For 24 May, the collective has chosen the southern part of the lawn around the pond, which will be set up as a festival site for a performance by British producer Pawsa.

But nature organisations including Bird Protection Flanders point out that Bois de la Cambre is a habitat for birds, bats and other animals.

“Noise, light, fireworks and trampled plants can all cause problems for nature,” said Julie Van Houtryve, project and campaign officer for Bird Protection Flanders.

“Animals can exhibit temporary stress reactions or even flee the area permanently.”

The preparations leading up to a major event can also have an impact, Van Houtryve said.

“For example, when the festival grounds are mowed early to get them ready, this inevitably has an impact on biodiversity,” she said.

Hangar said it had investigated the feasibility of the open-air event in advance, including in terms of noise, soil protection and the impact on the neighbourhood.

“We pay a lot of attention to the environment where we set up,” said Weymeersch.

Weymeersch said it was possible to organise a large-scale event with respect for the environment, but declined to provide details about its impact study.

Bois de la Cambre is managed by the City of Brussels, which analyses applications for events in the park. According to the city, such events are subject to strict conditions, including noise standards, safety measures, crowd management and a mobility plan to limit the impact on the neighbourhood and traffic.

“The event is supervised by the green spaces department,” said a spokesperson for Nawal Ben Hamou (PS), alderman for tourism and major events.

“The organisation is also subject to specific criteria such as integration into the environment, public safety and protection of the park… In addition to the commercial aspect of this event, it is also and above all about the image and international appeal of the city.”

Weymeersch said that measures are being taken to limit noise pollution, including the direction and placement of the music installation with regards to wind direction.

But Van Houtryve said that noise level was only one aspect to consider when assessing the impact on nature during the critical breeding season.

“For birds, light is at least as important as the number of decibels, because for many animals, a dark night is vital,” Van Houtryve said.

“The best advice is to keep the lighting within the festival grounds as much as possible. Lighting up the surroundings or trees may look magical, but it is detrimental to night birds, for example.”

The open-air club event will start at 15.00 and music will be played until midnight.

“Local residents will receive a letter in the post a few days before the event and will be able to purchase tickets at a reduced rate,” Weymeersch added.