Nature restoration: Over 12,000 people participate in Nature Work Days

More than 12,000 people participated in the National Nature Work Days on Friday and Saturday. They carried out 567 jobs to help and restore nature. Willows were cleared, bulbs and trees were planted, insect hotels were built and many other jobs were carried out in nature, according to the organization.

The National Nature Work Days were about “getting together and working together for nature close to home”. This also included working on the habitat of amphibians and reptiles. At over 300 locations, for example, ponds were cleaned, breeding burrows were turned over and heathland was cleared.

Furthermore, the event was also about bringing people from different age groups together who want to learn more about nature and nature restoration. For example, Deputy Leon Faassen put a group of Scouts and children from the village to work at Jeugd en Natuur Maasbree. The meeting of older volunteers and young participants gave both groups a lot of energy. “It is fantastic to see how participants of all ages are committed to nature with so much enthusiasm,” says Sascha van Breukelen, one of the organizers of the National Nature Work Days. “Volunteer work in nature brings people closer together and to nature.”

“This work is essential for the maintenance and restoration of our green habitat and contributes to a resilient nature for the future. Landscape maintenance such as the care of (pollarded) trees, orchards, the creation of flower meadows, and the cleaning of ponds is increasingly in the hands of volunteers,” states Van Breukelen.