Жоғарғы Торфты Далалар: Бельгия-Германия табиғат қорығы

Plateau straddling eastern Belgium and western Germany
the trans national park within the nature reserve

The High Fens (Hohes Venn; ; Hoge Venen), which were declared a nature reserve in 1957, are an upland area, a plateau region in Liège Province, in the east of Belgium and adjoining parts of Germany, between the Ardennes and the Eifel highlands. The High Fens are the largest nature reserve or park in Belgium, with an area of ; it lies within the German Belgian natural park Hohes Venn Eifel , in the Ardennes. Its highest point, at above sea level, is the Signal de Botrange near Eupen, and also the highest point in Belgium. A tower high was built here that reaches above sea level. The reserve is a rich ecological endowment of Belgium covered with alpine sphagnum raised bogs (not "fens" as the name would imply) both on the plateau and in the valley basin; the bogs, which are over 10,000 years old, with their unique subalpine flora, fauna and microclimate, are key to the conservation work of the park. In 1966, the European Council awarded the "Diploma of Conservation" to the High Fens, for their ecological value. Signal de Botrange located in the Haute Fagnes is marked by a Telecom Tower erected over an older artificial, earthen mound with stone steps that was built to raise a small part of the broad plateau from Large urban centres in the vicinity of the reserve are Eupen, Verviers, Spa and Malmedy. Part of the High Fens reserve remains closed during the spring breeding season of the endangered black grouse (Tetrao tetrix). The highest and lowest annual rainfall recorded are and respectively, with maximum on a single day of on 7 October 1982 at the Signal de Botrange. The maximum snowfall recorded at Signal de Botrange was in 1953. The maximum number of frost days (when the temperature remains below 0 °C (32 °F)) in a year is reported to be 158 days and the minimum is 70 days. The lowest temperature recorded was 23.6 °C ( 10 °F) in 1942, but it was 25.2 °C ( 13 °F) in 1952 at Baraque Michel. Several rivers have their sources in the High Fens: the Vesdre, Hoëgne, Warche, Gileppe, Eau Rouge, Amblève, Our, Kyll, and Rur. In winter all the water sources freeze into snow making the High Fens one of the best ski resorts in Belgium. During winter the swamps appear as if "wrapped in white fluffy snow shawl".

The region has been zoned under a regulation of 1992 into specific zones, keeping in view the access areas provided for visitors and tourists. The areas are allocated to three zones: B, C, and D. Zone B is open daily to the public subject to regulations: bicycles and dogs are forbidden; one must keep to identified tracks; waste is to be disposed of only in trashcans; and silence is to be maintained. Zone C can be visited only accompanied by a guide authorised by the park administration. However no access to this zone is allowed from mid March to late June, when an endangered species, the black grouse, breeds here. Zone D is a totally protected reserve area, with no access to the public.

The common heather or Calluna, a small bush of height is grazed by sheep and also has healing qualities; the bilberry, in the family Ericaceae, is a shrub found at an altitude of 500 m (around 1600 feet); the rootless peat mosses (Sphagnum) of about grow at a year and form the basic turf moors through the buildup of organic matter; cotton grass, a perennial plant in wet regions; sundew (Drosera rotundfolia) found in the acid turfs of the reserve which are carnivores and consumes insects. The logo of the park is the seven petalled flower of Chickweed Wintergreen (Lysimachia europaea), not to be confused with other plants with similar names such as Chickweed (Cerastium spp.) or Wintergreen (Gaultheria spp. ).

Faunal species recorded are: the wild boar, roe deer, hen harrier, black grouse, wood mouse, grasshopper warbler, great grey shrike, meadow pipit, European stonechat and northern wheatear.

As the habitat consists of bogs, fire is a major hazard during the drought period, when the Fens are closed except for a small area near fr. Triangular signs painted in red are fixed at the fire hazard locations.

The winter sports activities allowed in the Fens in specified area and outside conserved area of the fens are skiing, bicycling and trekking. Cross country skiing in the High Fens is permitted on specified forest tracks which are located in the outskirts or even outside the nature reserve. Hiking trails have been reorganized outside the parks reserved areas. The walk routes would be limited to undergrowth adjacent to nature reserve. Bicycle routes have been specified outside the nature reserve in nearby forests.