Council Land van Cuijk approves ambition document

On December 14, 2023, the City Council of Land van Cuijk approved the ambition document Man and landscape more strongly intertwined'. The ambition document is the result of a mid-term evaluation of the Maasheggen UNESCO program and answers the question of what will happen in the next five years, on the way to renewing Man & Biosphere status in 2028.

The mid-term review has revealed that:

• the Maasheggengebied is increasingly facing new challenges and tasks, which in the short or medium term demand a response from or a solution in our area. Examples are the transformation of the agricultural sector, the nitrogen problem, the decline in biodiversity, energy transition, climate change, the impoverishment of community facilities in the villages and increasing recreational pressure;
• to meet the criteria of UNESCO Man & Biosphere 'man' and 'biosphere' recognition there is a need for more balance between man and biosphere.
  In the first five years of UNESCO recognition, most attention and effort has been devoted to nature development (including through land swaps), nature restoration, nature conservation and the implementation of water projects. Activities have mainly taken place in the core and buffer zones. In recent years relatively little has been done to increase the involvement of residents and visitors in the Maasheggen area.

The ambition document provides direction for the direction, which the Maasheggen UNESCO program will take over the next five years.
The program is committed to

• A more integrated approach to the area process Maasheggen UNESCO by developing nature, agriculture, housing, health-promoting activities and recreation, more in conjunction than at present;
• the development of program lines for 5 policy themes: nature, agriculture, livability (including housing), health and recreation along with input from expert partners;
• More active communication with both residents and visitors to Maasheggen UNESCO.

How the program Maasheggen UNESCO will give substance to this (and with whom) you can read in the ambition document and its appendix.