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Propositions 1. Fully disentangling human and ecosystem contributions is impossible in cultural landscapes where both are necessary to produce human benefits. (this thesis) 2. To protect the ecological system for its own sake and for the benefit of humans, both biodiversity and ecosystem services need to be included in ecosystem accounting and conservation planning. (this thesis) 3. Maps and monetary values are very powerful communication tools for (mis)guiding public opinion. 4. Value is a multifaceted concept that guarantees critical discussion in interdisciplinary research. 5. A PhD thesis is authored by one person, but developed by multiple minds. 6. Nature is neither fair nor unfair, such phrases belong to humankind. (inspired by Carsten Jensen’s novel We, the Drowned, 2011, Vintage) 7. Investors in fossil fuels are reckless, as besides putting the planet at risk of further climate change, they are putting their own financial stability at risk. Propositions belonging to the thesis entitled: “Accounting for ecosystem services and biodiversity in Limburg province, the Netherlands” Roy Remme Wageningen, 13 January 2016 Accounting for ecosystem services and biodiversity in Limburg province, the Netherlands Roy P. Remme Thesis committee Promotors Prof. Dr R. Leemans Professor of Environmental Systems Analysis Wageningen University Prof. Dr L.G. Hein Personal chair at the Environmental Systems Analysis Group Wageningen University Other members Prof. Dr D. Kleijn, Wageningen University Prof. Dr P.F.M. Opdam, Wageningen University Dr L.L.J.M. Willemen, University of Twente, Enschede Mr. A. Steurer, Eurostat, Luxembourg This research was conducted under the auspices of the Graduate School for Socio- Economic and Natural Sciences of the Environment (SENSE). Accounting for ecosystem services and biodiversity in Limburg province, the Netherlands Roy P. Remme Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of doctor at Wageningen University by the authority of the Rector Magnificus Prof. Dr A.P.J. Mol, in the presence of the Thesis Committee appointed by the Academic Board to be defended in public on Wednesday 13 January 2016 at 4 p.m. in the Aula. Roy Paco Remme Accounting for ecosystem services and biodiversity in Limburg province, the Netherlands 220 pages. PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, NL (2016) With references, with summaries in English and Dutch ISBN 978-94-6257-610-0 Acknowledgements Before you lies the answer to that tantalising question that I have been asked about a thousand times over the past years. The question that I cringed at every time, because I knew what answer people wanted to hear, but which I could never really provide, not until I edited the last chapter of this thesis. The question of course being: “How is it going with your PhD?” (For all readers not writing a thesis, please don’t ask a PhD student that too often...). My answer is now, “Great! I completed my first book and learned a great deal in the process.” In these pages I would like to thank the many people that helped and supported me along the way. In spring 2011, I started at the Environmental Systems Analysis (ESA) group, having barely finished my MSc thesis three days earlier. Lars Hein invited me to join the Ecospace project and start my endeavour in spatial modelling of ecosystem services and biodiversity for ecosystem accounting. Lars, you have clearly shown that ecosystem accounting is indeed of interest for a very broad audience. Thanks for all the fruitful discussions we had over the past years. Your clarity and belief in the research got me through some tough moments. Rik Leemans, just knowing that your door was always open was a comforting idea. Thank you for sharing some valuable thoughts on life with me. Hopefully they provide me with sufficient tools to disprove Kierkegaard. Your input during the writing process, especially during the final phase, was highly appreciated. ESA provided a very diverse research environment, introducing me to new scientific topics, good scientists and great people. I want to thank all my colleagues over the years for the nice coffee breaks, the We Days, borrels and dinners, and, of course, the hilarious international Sinterklaas evenings! Arnold van Vliet prepared me for some of the most nervous, yet rewarding, moments of my PhD, when facing the media. The final results were far above expectation: front page of NRC Next and the NRC Science page, an interview on national radio and my first television appearance. Arnold, thanks for the media training, your guidance definitely helped getting the message across (more or less). Mathilde Witteveen and Ria Cuperus, without you ESA would have come apart at the seam countless times. Thank you for that and for solving my administrative issues and, of course, initiating the coffee breaks! Dolf de Groot, thank you for offering me the opportunity to keep working at ESA! I look forward to our further collaboration. Karen Fortuin deserves my gratitude for giving me the opportunity to test my teaching and supervision skills in the European Workshop course. That was a real enrichment to my work. I cannot forget Bas van Vliet and Astrid Hendriksen of the Environmental Policy group, in this respect. They were great colleagues to work with and learn from! The group that I saw most of during my PhD research, was the ‘young ESA’ group. Since I joined ESA the PhD student group has blossomed, with many fresh faces joining each year, and reinvigorating group activities. I want to thank you all for making ESA a fun place to work, and also reinforcing my belief that working in a multicultural environment is highly beneficial. The ‘extra-curricular’ activities were always entertaining and very tasty (think Indonesian nasi rames, Costa Rican gallo pinto, German beers, Pakistani biryani, Portuguese port wine and Russian caviar, just to name some delicacies). There are of course a few PhD colleagues that provided some extra support over the years. First of all, Matthias, it was a great pleasure to work together so closely. I greatly envy your wealth of ideas, knowledge on philosophy and environmental literature and your strong (or maybe better: sustainable) principles. Sometimes I have leaned on you, using you as my scientific library and needing your input to further develop an idea, but you carried my weight and provided me with opportunities to counter the balance. With respect to academic work, you were like an older brother to me and your example has helped me to further develop myself as a scientist. Aritta, your good humour is a big asset. I am lucky to have you as a roommate and I greatly enjoy our talks, often accompanied by a kopi panas (although yours usually becomes dingin...). I am sorry that you sometimes have to endure my teasing. I only do it because I like you! Confidence, you deserve special thanks for your effort to assist me with Python. Without your scripts I might still have been analysing. Leonardo, I enjoyed our lengthy discussions about capacity, flow and remote sensing. An essential part of my working day was always the lunchbreak, to rewire, sometimes vent frustrations and of course refuel with a routine cup of espresso or milky cappuccino. Those things would not have been possible without my regular lunch buddies Alexander, Clara, Ingeborg, Lucie, Lena, Matthias and Martine. I greatly enjoyed your company, and continue to do so over spontaneous drinks, an occasional pub quiz or international reunion. Those that have left the Wageningen campus are dearly missed. Scientific research becomes much more interesting when working together in a team. Co-authoring articles provided a great way to deepen my understanding of my research field and learn about completely new topics. Matthias and Lars, Alexander, Bram, Carl, Chris David, Dolf, Elham, Emma, Hector, and Paul, I greatly enjoyed our collaboration and I am proud of the final products. During the final phase of my PhD research, I was provided the opportunity to further develop ecosystem accounts for Limburg in a project with Statistics Netherlands. I truly enjoyed the experience and I am delighted to see the positive reactions. Sjoerd and Rixt, many thanks for making my summer indoors surprisingly enjoyable. We made a good team! In addition, I want to thank all the people from other organisations that provided input and data throughout this thesis, without it this book could not have been written. For this I gratefully acknowledge Provincie Limburg, Alterra, Faunabeheereenheid Limburg, KNJV, WML, het Natuurloket and de Fietsersbond. I express my gratitude to SENSE, the Ecosystem Service Partnership and Alternet for providing me with opportunities to develop my academic network, which has already led to many fruitful experiences. Doing PhD research is about reflecting on the meaning of life. And although research is fun and can often absorb a large amount of my energy and enthusiasm, friends and family provide real meaning. The contact to ‘normal’ life kept me going at all times. First of all, I want to thank my family for always encouraging me to make the choices that I thought best for myself. Anke, Henk, Anouk and Viktor, although you may not fully understand what I have been doing these past years, I felt your support. I hope you enjoy reading what your nerdy son/brother wrote. Oh, and I think we make a great family! Opa and oma, thanks for all your questions, they kept me thinking. Special thanks goes to my aunt, Liesbet, who dedicated quite some valuable hours to the artwork for this thesis. Many things have changed since I met my ragged band of ‘milieuvriendjes’, but one thing has not, and that is the good vibes they give me. Whether it was a weekend in the Ardennes, a jam session, a monthly borrel, a game night or a dinner together, you played an important part in making me relax and putting things in perspective.

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