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In the Ooijpolder, You Experience How Good Nature Policy Makes a Difference Through Hedges, Ponds, and Farmer Involvement

NRC·24 September · 06:00·4 hours ago

Emeritus plant ecology professor Hans de Kroon highlights the success of biodiversity restoration in the Ooijpolder, initiated in 2005 by biologist and farmer Tiny Wigman. The project created a 60-kilometer ecological corridor featuring hedges and ponds, supported by a Living Lab established in 2021 with socio-ecologist Noelle Aarts. De Kroon attributes the success not merely to financial compensation but to farmers' genuine motivation, trust, and collaboration. Research confirms that every meter of hedge boosts insect life, while ponds support rare species like the crested newt, demonstrating the impact of two decades of landscape restoration.

Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's

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