Nature oasis flourishes in Belgium's coal belt

By William Schomberg

GENK, Belgium (Reuters) - Fringed by dark hills of coal waste and long-shuttered collieries, Belgium's first national park might seem a humble contender for the role of global model for conservation and economic regeneration.

The pine woods and heather meadows of the Hoge Kempen park in northeastern Belgium sit on a small plateau above criss-crossing motorways and cooling towers in one of Europe's most crowded corners.

But conservationists say the park's founder broke new ground by convincing politicians, after years of lobbying, that his project should qualify for economic regeneration grants, and not just conservation funds which tend to be much smaller.

Ignace Schops, who dreamt up the park with friends over beers in 1997, estimates the 28 million euros ($44.4 million) granted by the regional Flemish government in 2002 was about three times the amount he got in conservation grants.

"That is extremely innovative and an example for the whole financing of protected areas around the world," said Tamas Marghescu, director of the European office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Schops, the conservationist son of a miner, matched the government's money several times over with other sources of financing. He says eco-tourism has given a boost to a region scarred by the loss of its traditional mining industry.

"Sustainable tourism is a niche and when you are the best in that niche, it's a huge business," said Schops as he took in the view from a hilltop in the park during a spring snowstorm.

This week, Schops will be awarded one of the six annual Goldman Environmental Prizes for grassroots environmentalism.