Area parties sign covenant
Numerous organizations are jointly committed to the Unesco site De Maasheggen. Nine of them confirmed their cooperation last Wednesday by signing a covenant. The covenant contains agreements about what the parties involved are aiming for ("sustainable development of the Unesco area The Maasheggen") and how they cooperate with each other.
The nine signatories are municipality Land van Cuijk, Staatsbosbeheer, Brabants Landschap, ZLTO Land van Cuijk, water board Aa and Maas, Vereniging Nederlands Cultuurlandschap, MooiMaasvallei, Visit Land van Cuijk and the Maasheggenteam. Almost all neighborhood and village councils in the Maasheggen area are represented in the latter platform.
The signing of the covenant formalizes what was previously written down in the ambition document 'Man and landscape more closely intertwined'. The ambition document was drawn up by the joint parties late last year and adopted by the council of the municipality of Land van Cuijk.
In 'Man and landscape more intertwined' it concludes, among other things, that nature and agriculture are still important for the desired development of De Maasheggen, but also that the inhabitants of the eleven villages in the area should be more involved in what happens in 'their green backyard'. After all, the Maasheggen is a Unesco Man & Biosphere Area; it is in areas with this status that new scientific insights are gained and ways sought for humans to live more in balance with their natural environment.
For that reason, the health network MooiMaasvallei, the tourist promotion organization Visit Land van Cuijk and the neighborhood and village councils recently joined the steering committee. Together, all partners will actively seek opportunities to develop The Maasheggen even more cohesively.
Antoinette Maas, Alderman for Sustainability, Nature and Mobility of the municipality Land van Cuijk, is pleased with the signing of the covenant: "The Maasheggen is a unique area where nature, agriculture, housing, health and recreation come together in one valuable landscape. Thanks to the cooperation of so many parties involved, we can not only preserve the beauty and biodiversity of this UNESCO area, but also create opportunities for residents, visitors and entrepreneurs. It is a place where history and future go hand in hand, and I believe this covenant helps us to connect people and landscape even more strongly."
In the photo, from left to right: Gijs Looijen (Brabants Landschap), Eric Maes (Maasheggenteam), Antoinette Maas (municipality Land van Cuijk), Rob Wientjes (ZLTO Land van Cuijk), Josan Meijers (independent chairman of the steering committee), Ernest de Groot (water board Aa and Maas), Jan Fenten (Staatsbosbeheer), Jaap Dirkmaat (Vereniging Nederlands Cultuurlandschap) and Hans Peter Jung (MooiMaasvallei). Missing from the photo is Pierre Bos (Visit Land van Cuijk).
Photo: Arjan Broekmans
