Project history

When Hans van der Lans from Ecoplan Natuurontwikkeling and Leon Terlouw from PWN Waterleidingbedrijf Noord-Holland met for the first time in the nineties, during a symposium on grazing, they were soon talking about wisents. Hans would like to give this animal species a chance in a natural area of some hundred hectares, fenced and closed to the public.

Early 2003 Hans van der Lans and Ruud Lardinois from Kritisch Bosbeheer and PWN (Piet Veel, Rienk Slings, Coen van Oosterom and Leon Terlouw) discussed possibilities of putting wisents out into a part of the Kraansvlak area that was not open to the public. This was followed by a visit to the area concerned, to judge whether it would be a suitable habitat for the wisent. It was agreed to write an exploratory memorandum on the possibilities of putting wisents out to this area: “ Wisenten in het Kraansvlak”.

A project group, in which also Gerben Poortinga from Stichting Tarpan participated, went on exploring the possibilities and organised a workshop about this subject on 7 April 2004, followed by a field visit. After this, information was communicated and commitment sought on a small scale, and various articles about the plans were published in the media. In the autumn of 2004 a work visit was organised to a wisent project in Germany: Damerower Werder. Apart from the people involved and some researchers, also representatives of Staatsbosbeheer and Natuurmonumenten attended the work visit. Finally, however, the plans led to nothing for financial reasons.

In 2005 the project was broadened and a cooperative project, in which Stichting Duinbehoud, Stichting Kritisch bosbeheer, ARK Natuurontwikkeling and PWN participated, came into being. The partners issued a new memorandum “Wisents in the Kraansvlak”, used to apply for subsidy from various subsidizing organisations. All the partners concerned would provide a non-monetary contribution to the project. PWN, the Province of North-Holland, VSB fonds and ANO-fundatie were willing to support the project financially.
Visits were paid to areas in France, Germany and Sweden to acquire knowledge about the wisent.

Radboud University Nijmegen is preparing a study into the effects on biodiversity. The University of Groningen is preparing a comprehensive study, which also includes areas abroad, into the ecology of the Wisent.