The symposium 'Beautiful Hageland, Nature and Landscape as a lever for a region’ focused on ways in which the Hageland region’s identity and related high biodiversity and landscape richness can help in combining economy and ecology in a balanced and new way. The symposium, which was organized by Natuurpunt Oost-Brabant, also discussed progress in Natuurpunt’s Countdown 2010 campaign and the successful Walks for Nature.

Keynote speaker was ECNC’s Executive Director Rob Wolters, who addressed the issue of combining biodiversity and landscape, regional identity and economic development from a European perspective. He emphasized the need to develop new ways of thinking: biodiversity and landscapes as chances and pillars for regional economy instead of stumbling blocks. In order to illustrate the viability of this new thinking, Mr Wolters introduced various good examples of ‘new thinking’, which were partly derived from the Interreg project LIFESCAPE-YOUR LANDSCAPE, which was coordinated by ECNC. He also gave examples of successes in Europe, including the success achieved by the Dutch region of Noord-Brabant with the Countdown 2010, which results in ownership processes with local and regional authorities.

He suggested developing ‘Beautiful Hageland’ as a strong regional brand in Europe and the Benelux, in which all relevant institutions, entrepreneurs and other groups in the region would work together. He also proposed a Hageland Revolving Fund, which could be established with regional capital and would result in more money for the ‘keepers of the countryside’. Mr Wolters concluded that other European regions could learn from the experience in Hageland, including from the Walks for Nature concept and the successful efforts of Natuurpunt to reach the local population.

For more information: Hanneke Wijnja, wijnja@ecnc.org or http://www.natuurpuntoostbrabant.be/