More nature in policy

The vision of the Dutch Government is to 'have nature at the heart of society.'. Green Rivers plays into these policy aspirations of the government. To be a constant reminder of their mandate to strive for a better future.

Nature at the heart of society

The strategy's main premise is that nature should be embedded in society. People care about nature in protected areas, but also about their natural surroundings closer to home. The policy aims for broader involvement by individuals, companies, local authorities and civil society organisations in nature conservation, and for sustainable use of nature's assets. As the following examples show, this new vision on nature is already evolving in society:

• farmers are creating wild-flower margins around fields;
• more urban buildings are being designed with 'green roofs';
• there are ecological noise barriers along motorways;
• local residents are maintaining communal gardens or local nature areas. Residents in a Boxtel neighbourhood, for instance, jointly purchased a nature area as big as about 13 football pitches;
• nature is being given space to flourish along rivers, which also protects the surrounding area against flooding. A good example is the nature development project along the river IJssel near Welsum and Fortmond in the province of Overijssel;
• groups of farmers and locals are joining forces to preserve valuable landscapes;
• multinational companies are working to reduce their products' ecological footprint;
• tourism businesses are working on conservation projects with nature conservation organisations.

Excerpt borrowed from https://www.government.nl/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/nature-policy-in-the-years-to-come