A few months ago InnovationNetwork organized a ‘Battle of Concepts’ to ‘design the fishing vessel of the future’. In such a ‘Battle’ students (higher vocational and university) and Young Professionals up to age 30 are invited to come up with previously unthought-of solutions for existing social problems and challenges. The Fishing Vessel Battle produced a good catch of interesting ideas for the Fisheries Innovation Platform and – at least equally important – some valuable new network contacts. InnovationNetwork wants to hold another Battle to gain more experience with this method for gathering refreshing ideas.

My idea for a Battle of Concepts centres on woodland planting. Covering some 360,000 hectares, woodland accounts for less than 10% of the Netherlands’ land area – which places us among the European countries with the least woodland per unit area and per inhabitant. Which is odd. Because woods are close to people’s hearts and are intensively used. Both on foot, bicycle and horseback. In fact, a visit to the woods is a long-standing fixture in the ‘Top 3’ most widely practised leisure activities (with some 250 million visits per year). And when asked what kind of nature they would like to have more of, people invariably mention woods as a big favourite.

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InnovationNetwork is developing the concept ‘towards a new nature narrative’. In this concept we propose to supply building blocks for a new nature policy – a policy that is underpinned by a renewed and updated ecological rationale, that answers modern needs and wants, and that recognizes the economic potential of nature. In other words: nature policy with 3 Ps (people, planet, profit). The development of new ideas for woodland helps us design these building blocks.

Almost half of the EMS (Ecological Main Structure) consists of woodland. And woodland also fulfils many useful purposes outside the EMS. For many years the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the provinces have been working to realize more woodland in the Netherlands, both in rural areas and in urban environs. Their main objectives are to promote biodiversity and recreation. More woodland can also help other authorities to achieve their policy aims in such diverse fields as health, education, integration, raw materials production, CO₂ capture, renewable energy production, curbing climate change, reducing the ecological footprint and fine particle purification. Not surprisingly, civil society organizations and citizens wholeheartedly endorse the desire to expand our woodland area.

But despite the ambitious goals, strong involvement and extensive array of support measures (such as subsidies for land purchase, landscaping and management, CO₂ certificates and a favourable tax regime for woodland owners), woodland planting initiatives are still thin on the ground.

Lengthy and complicated planning procedures, stiff competition for newly available land from non-green functions (e.g. housing, business estates and infrastructure) and the obligation (under the Woodland Act) to maintain new woodland in a sustainable manner are but a few examples of the restraining factors at work. And the fact that the Netherlands has not yet proved very inventive in finding ways to commercialize nature’s many functions is another reason why parties are not queuing up to plant new woodland areas.

InnovationNetwork is curious to learn how students and Young Professionals view this challenge. Do they see the same problems and impediments? And if so: what are their new, untried solutions? Or do these youngsters see entirely different problems and opportunities? Do they know examples from other disciplines or countries that could revolutionize Dutch woodland policy? In short: what change in mind-set and approach do they think we need in the Netherlands?

The Battle mailbox is open from 8 October to 15 November. For more information: www.battleofconcepts.nl.