Supporters and opponents of nature restoration can continue to argue, but six professors, researchers and programme leaders from Wageningen University & Research prefer to look at how nature, agriculture and housing fit together.
There is a lot of discussion about the Nature Restoration Act. The law is intended to improve nature and biodiversity in Europe on a large scale, but is meeting resistance in the Netherlands. Opponents fear that our country will be further locked up and food shortages will occur. Supporters stress that enough space will be left for housing, energy transition and agriculture. But for or against nature is the wrong question: it is about working together with nature.
There are all sorts of ways this can be done. This is often overlooked in discussions. This is a shame, because nature offers solutions from which humans and other species can benefit. There are numerous examples of so-called nature-based solutions. I give three for inspiration.
If the discussion and perceptions are to be believed, there would be a major contradiction between nature and agriculture. Yet there is no farmer who does not make use of biodiversity. At the Farm of the Future in Lelystad, this is being taken to the next level. For example, with strip cultivation, where different crops grow in strips next to each other. This diversity ensures that diseases and pests spread less quickly, so fewer pesticides are needed. This in turn benefits farmland birds and other animals, and our (drinking) water quality.
Living on a canal
A second example is the Merwedekanaal canal in the heart of Utrecht. New houses are being built here in green surroundings. Living and nature go hand in hand. There will be trees, green meeting places, playgrounds, green roofs, (interior) gardens and lots of space for water. It is a nicer place to live, but the area is also well prepared for climate change. Greenery keeps the city cool and limits noise pollution, while water can drain away during heavy showers. Plenty of new habitat is created for species such as bats, swifts, songbirds, hedgehogs, butterflies, fish and amphibians.
Then there is an example of water storage. The Netherlands has just gone through the longest period without rain, followed by extreme rainfall in parts of the country. This pattern will become more frequent. Interventions like at the Leuvenumse Beek in the forests of North Veluwe help to absorb these peaks and troughs. The stream has been made shallower, allowing the water to flow away more slowly. Useful during drought, while during heavy rainfall the water actually flows into the forest. This reduces the risk of flooding in the villages around it and replenishes our drinking water reserves under the Veluwe.
Nature as an ally
These examples show that there is no contradiction between nature and agriculture, or nature and housing. On the contrary: they reinforce each other. The Netherlands is already fully engaged in these kinds of nature-inclusive solutions. Other coutries are watching.
It is time to act and to no longer to think in terms of for or against, but with nature as our ally.
This article was also published as an opinion piece in the AD.
Bas Breman, Tim van Hattum, Liesje Mommer, Jeroen Candel, Lawrence Jones-Walters and Jeanne Nel of Wageningen University & Research.
