Frequently Asked Questions

There are a number of reasons. The first, and most important, reason is that co-creation between scientists and societal partners is the basis of our research program. This means that social partners and scientists together determine the research agenda, research questions, research methodology and studies. 

Because of the complex issue and the large and diverse consortium, we use the entire first 2 years of the project for this purpose. Next there will be a period of 4 years in which we will carry out the studies in 2 living labs aimed at understanding and managing human-animal interactions. Finally, there will be a period of 2 years in which we will bring the results of these studies together and also scale them up outside the living labs.

ARK Rewilding, BIJ12, Crossbill Guides Foundation, GAMR Holding, Fontys, KNJV, RLKM, LTO, LLTB, MinLNV, Natuurmonumenten, PWN, Radboud Universiteit, SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences), Smart Parks, Staatsbosbeheer, Universiteit Utrecht, Dierenbescherming, Stichting Wildaanrijdingen Nederland, Wageningen University and Research. (See also: Our consortium) 

Both at a local and national level, many different parties are involved in the management of large mammals in the Netherlands. These range from nature conservation, area managers, and animal welfare organisations to organisations representing interests that may conflict with wild animals, and from government organisations to foundations and associations. Various organisations are also involved in developing new technologies for use in wildlife management.

Finally, the programme encompasses many different scientific disciplines, such as philosophy, social sciences, communication studies, public administration, law, ecology, computer science and information technology.

Various parties have indicated that they are encountering all kinds of problems now that populations of large mammals are increasing. They are interested in possibilities for reorganising the management of these large mammals. The request to question the current approach in our research and to investigate alternative approaches actually comes from the field.

That is why, in the first phase of the project, we will primarily take a broad and systemic look at current management and then, with a consortium consisting of partners who are central to Dutch wildlife management, investigate what is currently going well and what is not going so well. Based on that analysis, we will identify bottlenecks and opportunities for improvement.

In principle, the programme as a whole focuses on all large mammals that are eligible for active behaviour management when encountering humans. However, the situation in the areas participating in our research serves as a starting point, which means that we mainly look at the animals that occur here. In the two living labs, for example, we will specifically address the interactions between large grazers (free-roaming cows and horses, bison) and recreational users, and the interactions between wild ungulates (wild boar, red deer, fallow deer) and land users (farmers, nature managers).

In addition, we have chosen not to focus on birds, for example, because, on average, they behave very differently from mammals and often move on a much larger scale. In our opinion, the interactions between large mammals and humans are very different from those between birds and humans.

In recent years, the return of the wolf has been a much-discussed topic, not only in the media and among the general public, but also in politics. It is therefore understandable to ask why an animal that has been the subject of so much debate is not a focus of our research.

WildlifeNL does not focus on the wolf because it isn't currently present in the areas where our research will be conducted. In addition, the wolf behaves differently from most of the large mammals that do live here. If the wolf does appear in one of our research areas and starts to play a role there, or if interactions with the wolf become relevant to specific research questions, WildlifeNL won't hesitate to include the animal in our research.

We live in a time when the numbers and distribution of certain large mammals are increasing significantly in parts of the country. As a result, the number of encounters between humans and these animals is also increasing (which can lead to both pleasant experiences and tensions), as are the discussions and debates about coexisting with wild animals. See our ‘Project’ page for a more detailed explanation.

The added value of the return of large mammals is very diverse. Consider, for example, the positive contribution animals make to people's experience of nature, the positive contribution this experience of nature makes to people's well-being and health, and the various roles wild animals play in the functioning of ecosystems and the preservation or promotion of biodiversity. Large mammals themselves are also an important part of this biodiversity.

Nowadays, a broad group of people would like to see that wild animals be given more space in our society. At the same time, coexisting with growing populations of large mammals in a densely populated country such as the Netherlands can also lead to tensions and concerns. In this project, we are therefore looking for ways to prevent potential conflicts between humans and large mammals and to encourage positive interactions, so that these animals can be given the space they need in our landscape without causing problems or conflicts within our society.

Preventing damage is certainly part of our research. We will be looking at this specifically in both living labs. Examples include the effects of wild boars on agricultural land in the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve KempenBroek and the effects of fallow deer on the red list in Zuid-Kennemerland National Park.

KempenBroek and Zuid-Kennemerland were chosen because these areas both represent a different, important part of the Dutch landscape and Dutch society. KempenBroek consists of a mixture of farmland and nature reserves, representing the countryside, with many different land users and average recreational pressure. Zuid-Kennemerland, on the other hand, consists of a busy nature reserve near several large cities, and is therefore a model for areas in the highly urbanised Randstad region with extremely high recreational pressure.

We are going to do a lot of different things in the living labs. What exactly we are going to study and test over the next 2 years will be determined together with the societal partners. It is already clear that in both living labs we are going to investigate the interactions between large herbivores (free-ranging cows and horses, wisents) and recreationists. 

We will also test how recreationists react to the large grazers and how they experience these interactions. In addition, we will investigate why certain interactions and behaviors of recreationists lead to conflicts with the large herbivores and others do not, and under what circumstances positive interactions between the two prevail. We will investigate similar issues for interactions between wild ungulates (wild boar, red deer, fallow deer) and land users (farmers, wildlife managers).

In the living labs, we are going to look in detail at how wildlife management is set up, what the challenges are, and where the opportunities are for improvement. In doing so, we will also look specifically at governance and communication aspects.

This is an important question that, fortunately, has been researched extensively. Studies have shown that the tagging itself causes a brief stress response, which is comparable to the response to other short-term and “natural” events. Wearing the tag does not cause any stress afterwards, and there are no indications that it affects the animals' well-being or behaviour. The animals with transmitters will also be continuously monitored to ensure this is the case.

We do not take the tagging of animals lightly, however. Our approach is to tag as few animals as possible: no more than is necessary to obtain good research results. After all, the starting point is to gain insight and information for the future welfare of these animals and their fellow species.

Visitors of the living labs may notice a number of things regarding our research, such as certain animals wearing transmitters. In addition, we want to actively engage with visitors and residents and inform them about our research. To this end, we will develop various communication activities, ranging from information boards to meetings where we can engage in dialogue with each other. Besides this, telephone applications are also being developed that will allow visitors and residents to participate in certain research activities and learn more about interactions between humans and wild animals.

The total budget of the research is around 5 million Euros and this is largely funded from the National Science Agenda, a program of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, NWO. Ten percent of the budget is funded by the societal partners in the consortium.