Wednesday 21st of April, a group of six international and interdisciplinary students of Wageningen University presented the findings of their “Academic Consultancy Training” assignment at the Centre for Development Innovation (CDI). Their research aimed at providing an overview of forest landscape restoration (FLR) activities in the Netherlands, to be used as input for the CDI facilitated global learning network on forest landscape restoration. Basic conclusion was that, although FLR is not a current term in the Dutch environmental context, it is frequently practiced.
After having selected and visited eight sites throughout the country, the group concluded that there are two major schools of thought: one having a sharp focus on ecological integrity, and the other having a focus on landscape planning, and inhabitants’ wellbeing. This is striking, since at the global scale, FLR is generally aimed at finding the balance between both aspects at landscape level. Subsequently, the study analyses the specific Dutch cultural and policy context in which FLR is being implemented. This, with the aim to put Dutch FLR practice into a global perspective, hence becoming subject to the process of global exchange on the FLR learning network.
The results of the study, including case study descriptions, can be found at the learning network website. The global discussion on FLR can be followed at learning network discussion platform.