Bison and Human Interaction with field-excursion

Hans Kampf 5 March 2010

Overveen Workshop results about Wild bison in the Netherlands published!

Stephen Decker (Canadian Memorial Universite, New Foundland) wrote the full workshop report.

On October 13th, 2009 Holland's Provinciaal Waterleidingbedrijf Noord-Holland (Puur Water en Natuur, PWN) and the Large Herbivore Foundation (LHF) hosted the first workshop in a number of years to focus on the Human Dimensions of large herbivore restoration and management. The workshop was held in Overveen, the Netherlands at the edge of the Kraansvlak dunes and was attended by more than 30 people from the Netherlands and several other Western European countries as well as two Canadians. The workshop began with introductions and warm welcomes by Hans Kampf, who recently replaced Fred Baerselman as the new director of the LHF, and Piet Veel, sector manager for nature and recreation with the PWN. The workshop was divided into three sections:

* presentations by project leaders and experts in the area of large herbivore restoration and management,
* an excursion to the PWN's 200 ha European bison enclosure, and an afternoon working session to identify
* learn about some of the most pressing human dimensions issues facing bison restoration in the Netherlands.

Topics and speakers were:

Human dimension and large herbivores, Stephen Decker, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada
Experiences form abroad, Uwe Lindner, Taurus Naturentwicklung e.V.; Germany
Experiences and perspectives for bison in Germany near cities, Peter Nitschke, Sielmanns Naturlandschaft Döberitzer Heide, Germany
Experiences from Sweden, Eriksberg, Tommy Svensson, Wildgehege Eriksberg, Sweden
How experiences in Western Europe and Eastern Europe can benefit from each other, Joep van de Vlasakker, LHF, Belgium
HD and bison in the Kraansvlak, Piet Veel, PWN Waterleidingbedrijf Noord-Holland
Afternoon workshop, Stephen Decker & Joep van de Vlasakker