Five Dutch provinces, two ministries, various nature and agricultural organisations and the Deltaplan Biodiversiteitsherstel foundation have been working together to improve the quality of nature reserves. Within the ‘All4biodiversity’ programme, they investigated opportunities for more natural management around nature reserves and made an inventory of how this could implemented. The province of South Holland led the programme, which is was supported by the European LIFE IP fund. Partners for Innovation brought the parties together and supervised the application for a contribution from this European fund. We carried out the project management between 2020 and 2026. 

The Netherlands is home to over 160 Natura 2000 areas. These nature reserves have the highest possible protected status within Europe, because they contain special plants, animals or landscapes. Provinces must ensure – together with the central government – ​​that these nature reserves are doing well. In the Netherlands, many Natura 2000 areas suffer from disruption from the immediate environment, for example due to desiccation, fragmentation or an excess of nitrogen. When protecting nature reserves, partners from the surrounding area are also needed. That is why the provinces have involved several organisations to join forces through an area-oriented approach and collaboration.

Pilot projects

The ‘All4biodiversity’ programme lasted for six years and involved setting up pilot projects across the participating provinces. In theset projects, the partners looked for promising measures that can increase the nature ​​around a Natura 2000 area. In doing so, they are seeking to connect with other tasks such as soil subsidence and the climate issue.

Business models

It is important that the measures also offer a financial solution, so that there is a profitable future for farmers, recreational entrepreneurs and others. Therefore, there has been a lot of focus on business models for nature-inclusive agriculture and alternative income, such as through sale of regional products, innovative applications of agricultural crops or tourist activities. The learning experiences from the pilots are shared in a toolbox, so that they can be followed up elsewhere in the Netherlands, and even globally.

More information

Please find more information about our activities around biodiversity and project development & financing. A convenient online report shows more about the results of this programme. You can also check the official website of All4biodiversity.