The last two years have seen intensive work on the first phase of the WildlifeNL project. The research agenda has now taken shape and the consortium has grown closer together. In 2025, the second phase of the project will begin.
Research agenda WildlifeNL
The first two years of the project aimed to map the various perspectives on managing wild animals and large grazers in the Netherlands. The project also examined bottlenecks experienced in current policy and where opportunities for change exist.
This process took place through five workshops and by conducting a problem analysis. In summary, four overarching issues were identified in current management policy:
- There is a need for more clarity on the effectiveness and impact of certain measures
- A lack of support is experienced, as well as bottlenecks in cooperation between parties
- There is room for improvement in a systems approach, which manifests in three ways: little attention to interactions, lack of coherence in the approach, and a lack of coordination
- A jointly discussed long-term vision is currently missing
The consortium also discussed potential opportunities for change. The following points were identified as important:
- Managing human-animal interactions while accounting for changing circumstances
- Designing an overarching policy
- Conducting open discussions about values, intentions, and considerations
- Jointly describing the principles of management
Using these findings, the focus of the research, as initially formulated in the WildlifeNL project proposal, has been further refined and the research agenda has been established. This research agenda, including problem analysis, is currently being elaborated in detail and will be shared on the WildlifeNL website in the first half of 2025.
Phase two
Over the next four years, the issues from the problem analysis will be further developed and researched by eight PhD researchers. These researchers have been successfully recruited and the second phase of the project will officially begin in March 2025. In addition to working on their specialized research questions, the PhDs will also work as a team and combine their insights. This will also provide a complete picture of potentially overlapping interfaces of various challenges and solutions.
Data collection will also take place in phase two in the project's Living Labs (South Kennemerland National Park and UNESCO Man & Biosphere Border Park KempenBroek). This data collection will proceed via apps developed for WildlifeNL for three different target groups:
- Recreationists who regularly visit the Living Labs
- Farmers whose businesses are located in or near the Living Labs
- Managers who work in the Living Labs
The WildlifeNL Project
The WildlifeNL project is an eight-year research project (2023-2030) focusing on how people and large mammals can better coexist in the Dutch landscape. Due to the increasing "wildlife comeback," we encounter each other more frequently, which can lead to both positive experiences and tensions. The aim is to create a system that supports prosperous coexistence and pays attention to the interactions between humans and animals.
The project consists of a broad consortium of social and scientific partners and is part of the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA) research programme, which is (partly) funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO).