The environmental scientist researched, among other things, the collaboration in Hollandse Duinen National Park and the Duin en Bollenstreek region. Here, various parties work together in “landscape-oriented partnerships” to restore biodiversity. The national government encourages such partnerships, and as a result, dozens are now active in the Netherlands.
Responsibility with the wrong parties
According to De Koning, the idea behind these partnerships is promising: farmers, governments and nature organisations work together to take concrete steps to improve biodiversity at the local level. “But the impact will remain limited if the broader causes of biodiversity loss are not addressed. Responsibility is now being placed on individual farmers, while the policy choices required to achieve this are being made at a national or even international level.”
An example from De Koning's research is the use of pesticides in bulb cultivation. “Farmers want to use fewer pesticides, but at the same time they have to comply with export regulations. Countries such as China and the United States, for example, have a zero-tolerance policy for harmful organisms, such as insects. As a result, growers still have to use chemical agents, even if they have organic alternatives. This forces them to make choices: limit international exports to these countries, or lobby for amended rules worldwide. But these are both choices and changes that you cannot expect at the local level.”
Fragmented policy
De Koning advocates for an integrated vision, in which the government takes a broader view of the landscape and the economy. “Policy is still often fragmented. Nitrogen, water quality, biodiversity – each problem is tackled separately, without regard for the bigger picture. We put up a few wind turbines here to solve the energy problem, we buy out some farmers in another area: it's all short-term thinking. But a vision of how the Dutch economy will function in twenty or fifty years' time, and what role agriculture will play in that, is still lacking. Yet that’s exactly what these partnerships are asking for.”
However, the environmental scientist also sees the advantages of local cooperation. “In the bulb-growing region, for example, you see growers comparing and improving their use of pesticides through a learning network,” says De Koning. “Moreover, local networks can respond more quickly to social pressure or changing policy, and they form an important link between policy and practice.”
According to De Koning, local cooperation remains important, but her research is a call for more realistic policy. If biodiversity restoration is really a priority, she believes that the foundations of the agricultural system, trade relations and spatial planning must also be examined. “Without vision and support from above, we will continue to apply band-aid solutions to a system that needs fundamental change.”