Nature reserve
The total area covers 173 hectares and is owned by the foundation Het Limburgs Landschap. The area contains three fens: the Sarsven, De Banen and the Schoorkuilen, as well as marshlands, forests and grasslands.
The Banen
Thanks to a restoration in 1992, during which the soil was cleaned up, the De Banen fen once again contains a natural, nutrient-poor water balance. As a result, it regained an open character and became once again suitable for species of the riparian alliance, such as the very rare floating water plantain. Some other unusual species in this area include marsh herbs, sundew and, in several places in the extensive willow thickets, Common Gale. North of the Banen, a fen dense with swampy forest was restored several years ago and named Het Hoefijzer.
The Sarsven and Schoorkuilen
The Sarsven, however, is still a nutrient-rich fen with lots of matsedge and wide reed beds. The Schoorkuilen is a partly realized, partly under construction nature development project being carried out by the Department of Public Works for nature compensation reasons. This involves the restoration of an area of fens that was filled with released soil during the construction of the Wessem-Nederweert Canal (completed in 1929). The Schoorkuilen project involves land on both sides of the canal: on the west side along the Schoordijk, on the east side along the Kwegt. The areas are great for walking and biking.