I grew up on a farm in Hoornaar in the beautiful area of the Alblasserwaard, part of the green heart of the Netherlands. From early childhood on, I was intrigued by nature. I scoured the ditches catching fish, leeches and amphibians, collected plants on the meadows creating my own wild garden and watched birds. My […]
Nature is not political Read More »
Maintaining rural areas necessarily involves preserving and developing agricultural activities. This is especially true in the Tuscany region of central Italy, where the collective imagination envisions hills and valleys adorned with rows of vines, grapevines, olive groves, husbandry, and centuries-old cypresses. However, even in Tuscany – as is the case throughout Europe – there is
Biocultural conservation of traditional agroforestry systems against land abandonment Read More »
I am trained as an architect and urbanist, but currently I am researching soil contamination in Amsterdam. What is an architect doing with soil? Cities are where the majority of the global human population resides. In fact, by 2100, eighty-five percent of us are projected to reside in urban areas. Cities will thus remain the
Soil-Positive Urbanization Read More »
As an ecologist who works at an institute where ecosystem monitoring with Remote Sensing is a key activity, I know nature is variable and can have many faces. It varies over seasons and it varies over years. Some years are drier, other years are wetter. So we know that, to really look at changes in
Savannas in Eastern Netherlands Read More »
Abstract The evils attributed to the “Anthropocene” are not the responsibility of all humanity; the main culprits, who have the political and economic power to shape the forms of production and consumption and define lifestyles, must be distinguished from the majority of the population, whose power to change things cannot be compared with those. “Systemic”
The “Anthropocene” Circumvention: A New Ideology to Sustain the Status Quo? Read More »
I was captivated by nature from a young age, inspired by the incredible diversity it holds. Sir David Attenborough fueled my curiosity, imprinting upon me the importance of understanding and preserving our natural world. Yet, despite this passion, we’ve witnessed a devastating loss of approximately 50% of global biodiversity due to human activities. This decline
Elevating nature conservation in European law Read More »
President Roosevelt zei al in 1937: “Een bevolking die haar bodems niet koestert, riskeert haar eigen voortbestaan”. Uit mijn eigen ervaring als ecoloog die regelmatig letterlijk haar kop in het zand steekt om de staat van de bodem te onderzoeken, heb ik geleerd dat bodems de basis zijn van ons bestaan. Vroeger dacht men dat
Een levende bodem als basis Read More »
Current pesticide use has serious consequences for the environment and human health. Current policy assessments have mainly focused on how pesticides pollute ecosystems and affect economies, but recent studies show they harm more than just pests. For instance, recent studies found that bumblebees across Europe face harmful pesticide exposure, linked pesticides to declining bird populations,
The Hidden Costs of Pesticides: Threats to Nature and Food Read More »
The European Union’s ambitious Farm to Fork strategy, aimed at transforming our food system for a sustainable future, is facing significant challenges and setbacks. Despite promising goals to reduce pesticide use, promote organic farming, and enhance animal welfare, the strategy has fallen short due to several key reasons. Firstly, the revision of animal welfare laws
EU Fails to Deliver on Food System Transformation in Face of Environmental Collapse Read More »
Europeans should prioritise nature and sustainability to prevent situations like summer 2023 in the Netherlands where almost 1000 people died because of a combination of large amount of grass pollen, high concentration of air pollutants and very high temperatures. #EuropeForNature, www.EuropeForNature.eu
Deadly combination of pollen, air pollutants and heat in 2023 Read More »
