NatuurpuntLocal environmental organisation

Responsible for education in the province Flemish Brabant & Brussels

Interview withRosan Heremans

What is the organisation ‘Natuurpunt’?

• It’s the largest nature conservation organisation in Flanders & Brussels

• It was created in the year 2001.

• They have 160 local departments

groups of people who work in the nature reserves in their community

What is the organisation ‘Natuurpunt’?

• They protect nature by:

buying pieces of land/nature

managing the nature in the nature reserves

education/raise awareness by people: Schools Activities on Sunday (promenades, workshops, …)

• Every year on the Environmental Day (20th of February) the pupils of our school help Natuurpunt in a local nature reserve:

2009

2011

This year!

What is the organisation ‘Natuurpunt’?

• They lobby with the government/they work together:

make laws

give money

buy land

What is the organisation ‘Natuurpunt’?

• The logo is a medieval symbol for the earth Natuurpunt cares about the earth, water, air and all living creatures

• Their slogan: ‘Nature for all’

they want nature for all the people in Belgium, they try to do that by buying small/big pieces of nature in all the communities

Is Belgian nature in danger?• YES! Belgian nature is in danger!

• Belgium is a little country, with many people, buildings and roads there isn’t a lot of nature

• Biodiversity is going down! Because of polution, roads going trough the nature reserves, …

• Natuurpunt tries to buy bigger nature reserves in Belgium, but that’s not easy in a small country.

Do they have partners in other European countries?

• The first partner is Birdlife International: an international organisationorganisation that tries to conserve birds

and their habitats

• They also work with Natuurmonumenten a Dutch organisation almost the same organisation as

Natuurpunt, but then in the Netherlands

How do they cooperate?

• ‘Garden Birdwatchday’: people count the birds in their garden With all these numbers Birdlife International knows which birds are doing well in Belgium and which aren’t

How do they cooperate?

• Natuurpunt & Birdlife International work together on a project in Sumatra (an island of Indonesia) They already bought and protect 100 000 hectares of rainforest!

How do they cooperate?

• With Natuurmonumenten they work together, because some of the nature reserves lay in the Netherlands AND Belgium for example: Plateaux (NL) &

Hageven (BE)

How can young people like us help nature or Natuurpunt?