Partnerships

Collaboration between EcoTree and Brussels Airlines addresses climate, biodiversity and water through restoring valuable peatland in Zwarte Beek

Berlin,

Monday, May 26, 2025

SQUAKE, EcoTree and climate-conscious airline passengers play a key role in enabling this Belgian restoration effort.

A new collaboration involving Brussels Airlines, SQUAKE, Natuurpunt, and EcoTree aims to mitigate CO₂ emissions and support environmental restoration efforts in Belgium. The project is the latest addition to the Lufthansa Group compensation portfolio that currently consists of 18 projects. The partnership enables Brussels Airlines' passengers as part of Lufthansa Group to address flight-related CO₂ emissions by contributing to the restoration of the Valley of the Zwarte Beek, a vital ecological area in Flanders, Belgium. The restoration project marks Belgium’s first certified initiative under the MoorFutures Standard¹.

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Through this initiative, Brussels Airlines' customers compensating for their flight-related carbon emissions will now also contribute to the restoration of a piece of Belgian nature. This approach connects passengers with an impactful local project designed to mitigate climate change and promote biodiversity.

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About the Project: Reviving the Valley of the Zwarte Beek
The Valley of the Zwarte Beek is the largest peatland area in Flanders and is spread across four municipalities. Natuurpunt manages about 1,500 hectares of the area. As part of the European Natura 2000 network, the area has significant ecological value but has suffered from decades of intensive land use and drainage, turning it into a source of CO₂ emissions instead of a natural carbon sink.

The restoration project aims to:

Mitigate CO₂ emissions: Rewet peatlands to preserve stored carbon and prevent further CO₂ emissions by raising the groundwater and slowing down decomposition processes. Waterlogged peatlands act as stable carbon sinks with relatively low net emissions compared to drained ones, which release vast amounts of CO₂.
Enhance Biodiversity: Protect habitats for endangered species like the bluethroat and common snipe, and promote the recovery of rare peat-dependent flora and fauna.
Improve water retention: Enhance hydrology, store millions of cubic meters of water, and reduce climate-induced flooding and droughts.

The project started in January 2025 with the restoration of 7 hectares of peatland at Lange Beemden in Meldert. This phase, supported by Lufthansa Group passengers, is expected to prevent approximately 72 tons of CO₂ equivalents from being emitted each year. Over the long term, it is expected to prevent more than 2,500 tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions.

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¹ MoorFutures ensures that the projects meet the criteria of additionality and permanence and promote other important environmental aspects.

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Key Partners and Roles:

Brussels Airlines: A key participant in this initiative as part of Lufthansa Group, enables its customers to offset their personal flight-related CO₂ emissions through compensating or purchasing a Green Fare (compensation by purchasing Sustainable Aviation Fuel and a contributing to high-quality climate protection projects). These projects now include the Belgian initiative “Reviving the Valley of the Zwarte Beek”.
EcoTree: A Nature company specialising in ecosystem restoration, such as reforestation and wetland restoration in Europe.
Natuurpunt: This Belgian conservation organization is leading the on-ground work as owner of the project area and leveraging their expertise in managing nature reserves and protecting biodiversity.
SQUAKE: Facilitates the integration of CO₂ mitigation solutions and provides access to verified carbon projects for Brussels Airlines and its customers. SQUAKE’s platform connects businesses and their customers with a transparent, high-quality portfolio of carbon partners.

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Peatland restoration is one of the most effective nature-based solutions for climate, biodiversity, and water challenges. This project brings together complementary expertise in carbon accounting and ecological restoration, ensuring both measurable impact and long-term environmental value. We're proud to be part of this collaborative effort to launch such an initiative in Belgium.

Thomas Norman Canguilhem

CEO

The Valley of the Zwarte Beek is a unique and fragile ecosystem that has suffered from human intervention for decades. This restoration project helps reverse that damage, boost biodiversity, and make the area a natural ally in the fight against climate change.

Filip Hebbrecht

Business Relations Manager

We at Brussels Airlines are aware of our environmental impact and we are continuously looking into different aspects to reduce this. We are proud to see a Belgian project included in the Lufthansa Group climate project portfolio, enabling us to make a meaningful local impact. This is made possible through the partnership with Natuurpunt, a well-respected Flemish association committed to nature conservation. We also want to thank our passengers who choose to invest in offsetting their emissions - their support helps bringing this initiative to life.

Balázs Németh

Corporate Social Responsibility Manager

By integrating this project into Lufthansa Group’s climate project portfolio, we’re connecting Brussels Airlines’ customers with real, impactful solutions to address their carbon footprint. This partnership demonstrates how businesses can drive tangible climate action by leveraging technology and supporting high-quality, locally rooted projects like the restoration of the Zwarte Beek valley.

David Lourens

Head of Carbon Solutions & Procurement

^{About Brussels Airlines}^{Brussels Airlines is the home carrier of Belgium and one of the network airlines of the Lufthansa Group. It connects Brussels with over 90 destinations, 17 of which are in Sub Saharan Africa. The company employs more than 3,500 people and operates 44 aircraft.}

^{Brussels Airlines aims to half its net-CO₂ emissions by 2030 compared to 2019 and strives for a neutral CO₂ balance by 2050. For effective climate protection, Brussels Airlines relies in particular on continuous fleet modernization, the ongoing optimization of flight operations, the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and offers for private travelers and corporate customers to make air travel more sustainable.
More information on}^{brusselsairlines.com}

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^{About the Lufthansa Group climate project portfolio}^{The Lufthansa Group relies on a differentiated climate project portfolio for CO₂ compensation. The portfolio is continuously being developed and currently comprises 18 projects. The providers are myclimate, Climate Austria, SQUAKE and ClimatePartner. The portfolio also includes three technology-based projects: One project for the capture of CO₂ and long-term storage in concrete and two projects for CO₂ removal with biochar. In this way, the Lufthansa Group aims to promote the development of the CO₂ compensation market towards new technologies and offers with technically induced long-term binding of CO₂. All projects in the Lufthansa Group's climate protection portfolio are certified according to the highest available standards.}

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^{About EcoTree}^{EcoTree restores and protects European biodiversity through the development, execution and monitoring of nature projects, such as resilient forests, wetlands or agroforestry systems. These projects directly address the pressing nature-related questions of our time: climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity and soil degradation.}

^{EcoTree brings Nature’s value to light through innovative models such as its European Biodiversity Fund, shared forest ownership or high-quality carbon credits. Companies can invest in specific areas such as carbon, water or biodiversity and get verified certificates, monitoring data, media and visit their projects:}^{www.ecotree.green}^.

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^{About Natuurpunt}^{Natuurpunt is the largest Flemish nature conservation organization with over 125.000 members. The long term protection of important habitats, species and landscapes is their main goal. To achieve this, they buy and manage nature reserves, study species and habitats, raise awareness and run educational programs for a general and specific public and regional governments. Natuurpunt manages 30.000 ha of land in more than 500 nature reserves.
Discover more about Natuurpunt on:}^{www.natuurpunt.be}^.

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^{About SQUAKE}^{SQUAKE offers solutions for accurate carbon calculations, automated carbon reductions, and/or compensations along the supply chain, as well as comprehensive CO₂ reporting. Their platform connects businesses with qualified carbon projects and ensures compliance with industry standards. Visit}^{www.squake.earth}^{to learn more.}

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^{MoorFutures Standard}^{MoorFutures is a carbon crediting standard designed for financing peatland restoration in Germany by monetizing avoided CO₂ emissions from rewetting drained peatlands. It provides scientifically verified carbon credits while also delivering biodiversity, water retention, and climate resilience benefits. As a region-specific mechanism, MoorFutures supports EU climate goals by enabling companies, municipalities, and individuals to invest in high-integrity nature-based solutions.}