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The total surface area of Belgium is 33,990 km², of which 30,528 km² of land and 3,462 km² of Belgian North Sea. Such a small area seems to suggest a low variety of landscapes. However, the opposite is true and is encouraged by a unique combination of natural features such as soil, relief and climate, and an intensive use of the land.

Belgium has three main geographical regions: the coastal plain in the north-west, the central plateau, and the Ardennes uplands in the south-east.
The coastal plain consists mainly of sand dunes and polders. Polders are areas of land, close to or below sea level that have been reclaimed from the sea, from which they are protected by dikes or, further inland, by fields that have been drained with canals.
The second geographical region, the central plateau, lies further inland. This is a smooth, slowly rising area that has many fertile valleys (with mainly loess soil) and is irrigated by many waterways. Here one can also find rougher land, including caves and small gorges.
The third geographical region, called the Ardennes, is more rugged than the first two. It is a forested plateau, very rocky and not very good for farming, which extends into northern France and in Germany where it is named Eifel. This is where much of Belgium's wildlife can be found. Belgium's highest point, the Signal de Botrange is located in this region at only 694 metres (2,277 ft). Belgium has relatively few natural lakes and none of any great size.

Of course this is a generalization. Each of these zones has a multitude of landscape elements, natural (rivers, dunes, hills, valleys, ...) and man-made (meadows, hedges, ponds, ...), leading to a high variety of habitats for fauna and flora.

After the last ice age, more than 10,000 years ago, the steppe that covered Belgium was transformed into a vast and almost continuous forest. From the beginning of the first agricultural activities, almost 7,500 years ago, until the 19th century, certain regions were deforested and brought into cultivation. On the biological level, this moderate deforestation led to a greater diversity of habitats, fauna and flora.

The industrial revolution, however, caused major changes in the landscape. Agriculture became more intensive and therefore less nature-friendly, while cities and businesses expanded like mushrooms and invaded a lot of open space.

In general Belgium has a temperate climate influenced by the sea.

The annual averages in Uccle, home of the Royal Meteorological Institute, currently amount to 10.6 ° C and 977 mm precipitation.

In the High Fens, located in the southeast of our country, there is a continental climate with warmer summers and harsher winters. In general, the higher the location of an area, the lower the temperature and the more abundant the precipitation. Local phenomena further increase the variety of habitats. Thus the most southern tip of our country, Belgian Lorraine, is also called the Belgian Provence, because of the south-facing, warm slopes. Here, species are often found that live mainly more south.

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https://ias.biodiversity.be/

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What is the government telling about fauna and flora

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What is the government telling about fauna and flora

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https://www.belgium.be/en/environment

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This video, in dutch :( , describes the questions of biodiversity applied to Belgium;

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Kestrel - Long-eared owl
In the dunes some part become more rough with trees and bushes, there birds of prey like the Kestrel and the Long-eared owl share the same niche and food.
Kestrels hunt by eyesight during daytime, the owl hunts by mainly by hearing during the night time for the same preys.

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2 examples of animals with a predator-prey relation (also living in the dunes)

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2 examples of animals with a predator-prey relation (also living in the dunes)

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Fox - rabbit
Foxes hunt mostly during dusk and in the night. Rabbits are also active during that same period. A fox uses his hearing for hunting next to sight.
In Belgium it was observed that rabbits prefer to live in the neighbourhood of foxes since they chase the other important predator, the stone-marten, who can enter into their holes.
Kestrel - (field ) mouse
Kestrel hunt during daytime. They use eyesight to detect mice.
Their eyes can also see ultraviolet. Urine spores of mice light up ultraviolet. Kestrels can clearly detect where the mice were recently active. Once they have the mice in sight, they dive into them.

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https://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/belgium_s_biodiversity_at_risk__fact_sheet_may_2013.pdf

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The most important ecosystems in Belgium are:
- deciduous forests and coniferous forests,
- grasslands and meadows,
- heath and dunes,
- fens and marshes,
- rivers,
- the North Sea ecosystem.
The distribution of these ecosystems varies according to the parts of the country. Some 80% of the Belgian forests occur in Wallonia, where almost a third of the territory is forested. In the Brussels Region (capital and central), the forest area is limited. The Zoniën Forest, she plays an important role as the green lung of the capital. The north of Belgium is characterized by grassland, heathland and dunes.Many Belgian ecosystems are of great importance for Belgian and European biodiversity

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In Yellowstone: The wolves were brought in because the increased elk population was overgrazing the deciduous, woody species such as aspen and cottonwood.
In Belgium: There are indications wolves might live in de Ardennes (immigration from neighbouring countries ) and in Flanders there are 2 wolves (male, female) there is hope they will breed.
The presences of wolves is controversial in Belgium, there are a lot of misunderstandings about wolves and the Hunter community is feeding the public with fear.

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https://wwf.be/assets/IMAGES-2/NEWS/nature-scorecard/Nature-Scorecards-Report-March2018.pdf

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A grass unique to Belgium, the Brome of the Ardennes Bromus bromoideus(Wikipedia), is apparently extinct in the wild, but has been successfully germinated at Kew's Royal Botanic Gardens (BBC).

Among the invertebrate species described from Belgium and not known from elsewhere are a cave-dwelling rove beetle Tychobythinus belgicus (p. 4 of CWEPSSpdf file), a parasitic wasp Cleruchus raignieri (p. 38 of Far Eastern Entomologist pdf file), the cave-dwelling springtails Oncopodura dethieri (ResearchGate) and Deharvengiurus severini (fr.wikipedia), and a sheetweb spider Diplocephalus caecus(araneae).

Two freshwater diatoms, Eunotia belgica and Encyonopsis horticola, were recently described from Belgium (IngentaConnect).

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Dunes

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Issoria lathonia in the dunes and the rest of Belgium

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Issoria lathonia in the dunes and the rest of Belgium

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Cochlicella acuta in the dunes and the rest of Belgium

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Cochlicella acuta in the dunes and the rest of Belgium

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2 parasitic organisms (present in the dunes)

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2 parasitic organisms (present in the dunes)

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Clove-scented Broomrape - Orobanche caryophyllacea
The Clove-scented broomrape  parasites on members of the Bedstraw family -Rubiaceae. In the dunes this is mainly on lady's bedstraw or yellow bedstraw - Gallium verum. Broomrape has no leaf green of itself and can not generate food.
The Broomrape is therefore not a producer but a consumer. It is completely dependent on other plants to get food. During the germination, seeds send a root-like spur into the soil until it makes contact with the root of the host. When he becomes attached to this, he deprives the host of water and nutrients. The germination of the seeds is triggered by substances that disperse the root of the host in the soil: if they are missing, the seed can retain its germination for several years. So she waits until a suitable other plant grows nearby to deprive it of food.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans
In the dunes in the west of Belgium only a few species of amphibians live.

2 rare species:

-> Natterjack toad Bufo calamita

-> Northern crested newt (also known as the great crested newt or warty newt) Triturus cristatus

3 common species:

-> Smooth new ( the common newt) Triturus vulgaris

-> Common toad Bufo bufo

-> Common frog Rana temporaria

Currently these populations are endangered by a parasite-fungus.

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans is a dangerous fungus that can be considered a threat to all amphibians. He has surfaced since 1998. The fungus attacks frogs, salamanders and toads. The fungus causes chytridiomycosis.

To grow, this yeast-like fungus uses keratin. He settles in the upper layers of the skin of amphibians and in the mouth of tadpoles. Contamination occurs via the water or through direct contact with the fungus. The incubation period lasts 8 to 15 days. The fungus develops optimally at a temperature between 17 and 25 °C and under humid conditions. The fungus produces mobile spores that adhere to the keratinized skin of an amphibian. The spore then develops into a so-called sporangium in which new spores are formed that are released and can infect a new amphibian. The symptoms in affected amphibians are mainly: the release of pieces of skin, lethargy, behavioral change, abnormal postures and skin wounds. In tadpoles the fungus causes deformed beaks. The fungus leads to acute mortality. While Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis mainly affects frogs, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans is responsible for mortality in salamanders.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chytridiomycosis

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Orobanche caryophyllacea is a species of plants with 51 observations

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The ecological niche of two characteristic animals

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The ecological niche of two characteristic animals

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Queen of Spain fritillary Issoria lathonia
This rare butterfly’s ecological niche are open, poor (dune) grasslands. There must also be an important presence of nectar plants. The heat-dependent caterpillar’s host plant are violets (Violaceae) The dune violin in the dunes, the tricolor violet and the field pansy in the interior are the main preference. Ragwort, purple loosestrife, hemp-agrimony, viper's bugloss are the main nectar sources in the dunes. However, the butterfly is not choosy in this and also visits about thirty other plant species. These food plants are usually found in wetter dune valleys. For survival this butterfly needs both terrains in the vicinity of each other. She also needs bare sand for sunbathing. predators are mainly birds.

Pointed snail Cochlicella acuta

In general the ecological niche of snails is amongst others defined by the type of biotope, the microclimate at ground level (humidity, temperature), the soil and soil condition (amount of chalk, amount of loose material in the top layer, texture, humidity) and predators.
The Pointed snail is rare in Belgium. At the seaside, more specifically the dunes in the west only, the snail is common. The Pointed snail is a habitant of dunes with Marram grass and dune grasslands both rich on chalk. To prevent dehydration the tiny snail is active during the night and with rainy weather. During the day (in summertime) they prefer to climb in plants in order to avoid the hot soil.

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Levende duinen: een overzicht van de biodiversiteit aan de Vlaamse kustProvoost, S.; Bonte, D. (Ed.) (2004). 

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Levende duinen: een overzicht van de biodiversiteit aan de Vlaamse kustProvoost, S.; Bonte, D. (Ed.) (2004). 

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Levende duinen: een overzicht van de biodiversiteit aan de Vlaamse kust. Mededelingen van het Instituut voor Natuurbehoud, 22. Instituut voor Natuurbehoud: Brussel. ISBN 90-403-0205-7. 416, ill., appendices pp.

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Biodiversity conference & main research sources

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Biodiversity conference & main research sources

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https://www.inbo.be/en/news/save-date-alter-net-conference-ghent-june-17-19
https://www.inbo.be/nl
http://www.vliz.be/nl/missie
https://www.naturalsciences.be/nl/museum/home