‘Amersfoort Declaration’ on Biodiversity

Under the banner of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, De12Landschappen, together with several provincial and local authorities, nature conservation organisations and others, have signed the ‘Amersfoort Declaration’ at a national meeting on 4 November 2009. The meeting was attended by Mr Onno Hoes, representing the Province of North Brabant and Chairman of the 2010 Biodiversity Coalition,and Ms Anita Wouters, Director General of the Dutch Ministry for Land, Nature and Food (LNV). This meeting also saw the launch of the Dutch 2010 Biodiversity Coalition.

As members of the Coalition, signatories to the Declaration commit in 2010 to raising public awareness about threats to biodiversity – people, public authorities and businesses will be encouraged and supported to increase joint-working to maintain and use increasingly scarce natural resources more sustainably as that is essential for biodiversity. The main focus is to communicate that all people have influence and impact upon biodiversity in their immediate surroundings: from the contents of their fridge to the way they keep their back-gardens. In addition, De12Landschappen have said that it will ensure biodiversity is highly profiled in communications and publicity material issued by the twelve regional landscape organisations in the Netherlands. More information is available from: www.biodiversiteit.nl/2010.