Nature on the Doorstep ISBN 90-393-2850-1
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Nature on the doorstep ISBN 90-393-2850-1 Design of cover: Jeroen Brugman, Grafisch Atelier Wageningen Printed by: Ponsen & Looijen bv, Wageningen English correction: Bob en Freeda Bunce Lay out & figures Gérard van Betlehem, Rob Kromwijk, Gerrit van Omme and Margot Stoete Kartlab - Faculteit Ruimtelijke Wetenschappen - Universiteit Utrecht This research and publication have been made possible by: Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Utrecht University Alterra, Green World Research, Wageningen URU (Research Centre Utrecht) STEPRO (Netherlands Graduate School of Housing and Urban Research) If you want to order a copy of this book you can contact the author. Costs: 30 EURO. Contact details: Berien Elbersen [email protected] P.o.Box 47 6700 AA Wageningen [t] + 31-317-47 47 88 (work) [t] +31-35-621 83 72 (home) [f] +31-317-41 90 00 No part of this publication may be reproduced or published in any form, by print or photoprint, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without written permission of the author. Nature on the doorstep The relationship between protected natural areas and residential activity in the European countryside Natuur bij huis De relatie tussen beschermde natuurgebieden en residentiële activiteiten in het Europese platteland (met een samenvatting in Nederlands) Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht op gezag van de Rector Magnificus Prof. Dr. W.H. Gispen ingevolge het besluit van het College voor Promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op vrijdag 2 november 2001 in de ochtend om 10.30 uur door Berien Sjamkea Elbersen Geboren op 22 september 1966 te Enschede Promotor: Prof. Dr. A.M.J. Kreukels Promotor: Prof. Dr. P.P.P. Huigen Co-promotor: F. van Dam Preface Several years have passed since I started this study. I’m glad it’s finished and I’m proud of the result. It took me much longer than the four years that are usually reserved for doing such work. I think that my optimistic attitude should be blamed for this. Firstly, for thinking that I could do fieldwork in three different countries, analyse the results and write a whole book within this four year period. Secondly, for thinking that I could combine a full time job with writing a book. I look back at it and see it as a very satisfying and exiting phase in my life in which I have matured as a geographical researcher and obtained many valuable contacts and friends. Until I applied for this PhD position in 1993, I had never had a wish to become a doctor in the field of Geography. During my study and first two positions at the Landbouw Economisch Instituut (LEI) and STOGO, I had however become conscious of the interest I had in the countryside and especially of the need to get a better understanding of the mechanisms that influence the threatening changes in these beautiful green spaces. I think my father has always played a very important role in awaking my interest in spaces where humans and nature interact so closely. On all our trips to the many Dutch and foreign places we made, he learned us to observe. My farther explained us about the natural, socio-economic and historical processes that shaped the landscape and that influenced human behaviour in space. Applying for the PhD position in which the relationship between protected nature and residential activities had to be investigated was therefore no difficult choice for me. The first person I should thank is Paulus Huigen who has been the main contributor to this book and my inspiring supervisor. He designed the study and helped me reshape it and adapt it to my ideas and preferences. When I started the study I knew it would become a European comparative work in which Spain at least should become one of the study countries. Paulus was also in favour of putting the study in a European context, but feared that extensive field work in other countries, besides the Netherlands, would take too much of my research time. He was right! I do not regret however being stubborn, because I would have never liked to miss the fieldwork periods in both Doñana and Northumberland. I learned a lot of it, met many interesting and warm people, and the international comparison is probably one of the strong points of this study. Paulus always supported me in the ideas I wanted to elaborate. I thank him a lot for the many things he taught me, the honesty and the space he gave me to discover the several paths, including some blind alleys, I had to take. Thank you for keeping me focussed, but letting me sometimes diverge from the main road on those places where I could not suppress my curiosity or stick to the main research object. I also want to thank Ton Kreukels for the important and much appreciated support and supervision. He always surprised me in being so well able to indicate what the weak and strong points were in the texts I gave him to read. What I most admired in his supervision was the diplomatic way in which he combined compliments and sharp criticism. Every time it inspired me to continue with renewed energy. Ton was also very good in chairing and structuring the meetings in which the four of us discussed my research steps and different texts. Frank van Dam has given me the most important support in the last year of my PhD. He became my immediate supervisor when Paulus Huigen left Utrecht to become a Professor at Groningen University. Frank took his job most seriously and provided me with solid and honest critique. He always read my texts very thoroughly and indicated in a very detailed way what needed to be changed. Although his critique sometimes made me insecure, Frank enabled me to satisfactory finish off the 8 chapters of this book. Frank, thank you for being such a great and reliable help, especially in the last phase of rounding off my thesis. During my field work in the Netherlands, England and Spain I worked together with many students, interviewed many key persons and obtained support of several people working at the University of Newcastle en Sevilla. I especially thank Tony Champion who was very helpful in setting up the fieldwork in Northumberland. Maria- José Prados spent many days working together with me on my Doñana research and explained me many things about the Andalucian culture. We became friends and colleagues and have been involved in several joint research activities since than. I hope we will continue working together in the future. I thank the Faculty of Geographical Sciences, URU and NETHUR for giving me the opportunity to do this research and for providing the resources and the working space, also in the period when I had already started a 5 Samenvatting job in Wageningen. At the Faculty there were many other people that have become important to me as they added to the pleasant atmosphere I could work in. Alice de Boer and Irina van Aalst have become friends when I was working at the University. We still see each other regularly and I hope we will continue to have the fits of laughter we always have. I also thank Anton Smets and Herman Kok for the interesting conversations and the extreme energetic behaviour they both displayed and that stimulated me to also work harder. Ton van Rietbergen, Alfonds de Vocht, Frank Bonnerman and Frank van Dam were excellent company during lunch and in the pub with their often pessimistic world views that made me laugh but also look more profoundly at important ánd futile matters of life. I also want to thank the good company and advice of Veronique Schutjens, Ronald van Kempen, Claartje Mulder, Tejo Spit and many others at the Faculty of Geographical Sciences. After more than 4 years working on my PhD I started my present job as a researcher at Alterra in Wageningen. This new job took very much of my time and it proved very difficult to combine the job with finishing the PhD. The head of my department, Peter Smeets, and my direct colleagues were however very considerate and enabled to make special arrangements to obtain unpaid leave or use my saved up holidays to work longer periods on the thesis. This year they made it possible for me to stay away for 5 months. Other people had to take over my tasks. I want to thank all my colleagues for this, especially Janneke Roos and Marta Perez Soba, who worked very hard to keep our preferred ELPEN project going. Writing in English is not always easy and both Bob and Freeda Bunce have been extremely helpful in editing the long chapters of ‘Denglish’. They taught me many new English words and phrases and corrected me in an effective and subtle way. Bob has improved my understanding of the English but also of the English and Spanish landscapes and processes of change in them. He spent many hours correcting my last chapters in the period before handing in the text to the printer and I think I still owe him many beers to thank him for the great job he did. Gérard van Betlehem, Rob Kromwijk, Gerrit van Omme and Margot Stoete have produced the tables, figures and lay-out of this thesis and did a very good job. My parents and grandparents have always encouraged me strongly to invest in my study and personal development and were able to make me feel proud and certain about myself. Without their support I would have never finished this book and probably would not have even have started it.