Natuurgebied De Klotterpeel | De Rips

The old Peel restored De Rips. The unexplored Klotterpeel in the early 1900s De Rips. The Klotterpeel now, in its restored state, surrounded by the forest of the successfully reclaimed Stippelberg

The Klotterpeel breathes the atmosphere of the old Peel before the great reclamations, when peat moss choked the acid water of swampy pools and the ground was soft and soggy underfoot. Large areas of the Peel were sold off for reclamation in the late 19th century, often for forestry. Examples are Landgoed De Sijp and Landgoed Cleefswit, both owned by large landowners. The Klotterpeel was one of those pieces of nature that fell outside the large estates. Small-scale attempts were made to reclaim it but proved unprofitable. Now the area has been restored to the swampy conditions that were still common at the beginning of this century, with a large fen, also called vlôs, in the middle.

Peat itself is still some time away. This is because peat is dead plant material from the peat moss, a species of plants known by the collective name spaghnum. If growing conditions were wet, cold, acidic and low in food and oxygen then spaghnum was able to outgrow competition from other plant species and slowly build up large mounds of peat, with the living plant lying like a blanket over the dead plant material. This peat was extensively excavated and used for many different purposes, but mostly burned. Today, air pollution is quite high, and there is also some form of nitrogen in the air that precipitates on the soil and is fantastic plant food. Other plant species have enough food to out-compete the spaghnum, and peat is struggling to gain a foothold anywhere in the Netherlands. Through the Klotterpeel also runs the Koordekanaal.