Who cares if species disappear?

During the dry season at the end of May, when I made a round with an arable farmer to check the crops, he pointed out a pair of swans and a breeding coot when passing a canal. An ordinary farmer who has an eye for nature during his work. Like many colleagues with him.

A week earlier; I am on a boat with my family, which takes me and other citizens to the IJsseloog. Dredging depot IJsseloog was constructed 20 years ago in the Ketelmeer near the mouth of the IJssel to store polluted sludge. The attendant asks via the public address system whether there are journalists on board. I say nothing. I'm not there for work, but I see it as a fun family outing, one of whom has always wanted to look around the island. No one responds to the question. 'Great,' says the attendant.

On this day, administrator Rijkswaterstaat wants to show citizens what is happening on the island in the form of an eye and how nature has developed. It is quite special, because all the plants and animals have sprung up spontaneously: beaver burrows, ospreys, breams, sea eagles, roe deer, kingfishers, cuckoos and woodpeckers. Some species are not found anywhere else in our country. Given the young age of our children, we do not follow the technical walk, but the nature walk with a guide from a nature organization.

fox pranks
The naturalist talks about the bird counts: 'A few years ago many meadow birds nested on IJsseloog, but then a winter came when the Ketelmeer on the side of the Noordoostpolder froze over. Foxes and other animals crossed over to the artificial island. Since then it has come to an end with the meadow birds. The gull colonies have also disappeared and geese no longer breed on IJsseloog. Species come and go', he concludes neutrally.

I was perplexed. Apparently it is not a problem at all if species disappear from nature reserves! But who is to blame for the decline in the number of meadow birds? That's right, the farmer. While he often does his best to move nests or allow volunteers on his land to do that job. He also knows better than anyone that our country is teeming with foxes and other predators. In addition, the swallowing up of 10 thousand hectares of agricultural land by the city and nature is also a reason for the decline of certain species. Nice that there was unexpectedly a journalist on the boat, who can record these fox tricks.

IJsseloog 20 May 2017

Clarisse van der Woude

Arable farming experts boerenbusiness. Nl

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