Why?

Dutch nature is highly fragmented and strictly regulated. With the additional threat of high human population density and intensive land use, wildlife is often left with small and fragmented habitats that cannot sustain viable populations. For many wild animal species this can make it quite difficult, if not impossible, to move through Dutch nature areas and reserves.

While several restoration measures such as wildlife bridges/corridors help mitigate current issues, the conditions for flora and fauna in the Netherlands can be improved further. Great initiatives already exist to embrace biodiversity in the design and planning of infrastructures, both in urban and rural areas. This does not only benefit wildlife and biodiversity in general, but also creates a safe, healthy, resilient and beautiful landscape for people to live in.

The Walk for Wildlife is meant to shed light on these initiatives and to address the challenges and opportunities for wildlife in The Netherlands. With this Walk we aim to reach a broad public and to inspire both citizens and policymakers to improve conditions for wildlife in The Netherlands. This can be done through restoring, connecting and expanding natural areas, and/or through integrating nature in urban environments. Our initiative embraces the Deltaplan Biodiversity Recovery, which has recently been released, and we see the Walk4Wildlife as a concrete action to support the plan.