“In the beginning, fieldwork was conducted simply with a paper map, marking dots and lines
accompanied by extensive notes… The introduction of software, however, made it possible to conduct fieldwork remotely and synchronise the results through a cloud-based system. Once this was adopted, the project gained remarkable momentum, enabling the completion of all baseline measurements across the entire province during the past year – thus covering the full agricultural cultural landscape.”
The seed
In the Dutch province of Utrecht, a citizen science monitoring network has spent over a decade mapping the small landscape elements — hedgerows, tree lines, ditches, and ponds — that form the greenblue veining essential for biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Initiated in 2013 by Landschap Erfgoed Utrecht (LEU) using newly available ArcGIS software, Meet je Landschap (Measure Your Landscape) mobilises a network of approximately 65 volunteers equipped with tablets to systematically document the presence and quality of these landscape features. By the end of 2024, the initiative had achieved a first for the Netherlands: complete comprehensive mapping of the entire agricultural landscape of a province, providing a unique, province-wide baseline dataset for biodiversity policy.
The drivers
The initiative is driven by a combination of intrinsic motivation, institutional vision, and enabling policy conditions. Volunteers are motivated by meaningful outdoor work, recognition from institutions, and the concrete visibility of their impact through data dashboards and visualisations. LEU’s data-driven approach has elevated it into a recognised policy partner at regional and national levels. The province of Utrecht has structurally embedded funding for Meet je Landschap within LEU’s annual operating subsidy, providing rare long-term stability. Key individuals — a newly appointed, highly motivated LEU project coordinator, two entrepreneurial and ecologically skilled volunteers, and an open-minded water board policy officer — have been decisive drivers of momentum since 2022. The national policy goal of 10% greenblue veining in rural areas, embedded in the 2023 Nationaal Programma Landelijk Gebied (NPLG – National Programme for the Rural Area), gave the initiative clear political relevance and triggered new partnerships with the water board and farmers.
The obstacles
The initiative’s greatest structural vulnerability is its dependence on a small number of highly skilled and motivated individuals whose departure could destabilise the network. The loss of national NPLG funding in 2024 removed an important policy anchor, though provincial support has continued. Competition between LEU and agricultural collectives — who hold the subsidies for creating landscape elements — has created friction between data and funding streams. Commercial consultancies contracted by government bodies sometimes request LEU’s data in competitive contexts, creating tension between collaboration and protecting the organisation’s specialist position. An earlier coordinator’s lack of enthusiasm nearly caused two key volunteers to quit. And despite achievements, the voluntary monitoring network remains structurally fragile and dependent on continued recruitment and engagement.
The transformation potential
Meet je Landschap demonstrates how citizen science, when embedded in a stable institutional framework and responsive governance culture, can become a genuine policy infrastructure for biodiversity. The complete province-wide dataset represents a tangible and unique achievement, making Utrecht the first Dutch province capable of evidence-based, targeted landscape restoration. The initiative’s evolution — integrating new apps, eDNA sampling, blue veining monitoring, and collaboration with the water board — shows a dynamic capacity for innovation. The upcoming integration of qualitative field data with quantitative satellite-based LargeScale Topography Basic Registry, provinces, municipalities (LASREG) monitoring could establish a new standard for national greenblue monitoring. By bridging citizen engagement, digital technology, and policy, Meet je Landschap models how participatory landscape monitoring can move from niche project to systemic tool for biodiversity governance.
Desired future
The desired future is an integrated socio-ecological monitoring and landscape-management system in which technology, citizen science, farming and public governance reinforce one another. Green and blue landscape elements are monitored through a single, transparent system that combines satellite observations, field data and other emerging technologies. A stable volunteer community contributes local knowledge and continuity, while farmers, citizens and policymakers can easily see and understand monitoring results.
In this future, monitoring is no longer an end in itself. It supports visible ecological transformation: nature-friendly ditch banks and flower-rich verges become widespread, water quality improves, invasive species are controlled and native ecosystems recover. More than 6,000 kilometres of blue infrastructure can be mapped and continuously monitored, contributing towards a regional landscape in which at least 10% consists of green-blue veining.
Farmers are also economically integrated into this model. Biodiversity management provides a viable income stream through fair compensation supported by public subsidies and contributions from private supply-chain actors. Institutionally, provinces, municipalities, water boards and land-management organisations operate within a coordinated framework, supported by a strong Utrecht platform and long-term funding. Shared ownership and transparency replace fragmentation, creating confidence that biodiversity-positive landscape management is both achievable and economically sustainable.
Potential transformative intervention mixes
The transition requires an intervention mix that addresses technological fragmentation and institutional fragmentation simultaneously. A central step is the creation of an integrated monitoring system that combines satellite data such as LASREG with field validation by volunteers and potentially emerging tools such as eDNA. Rather than waiting for a perfect technical solution, pilots such as Oudewater can be used to test, improve and gradually standardise the system.
Technology alone, however, is insufficient. Clear mandates and dedicated coordinators within the water board and province are needed, alongside an active regional platform connecting the relevant actors. Longer funding cycles can create continuity, while effort-based compensation can give farmers fairer incentives where ecological outcomes are affected by factors outside their control. Moving from administrative distrust towards trust-based relationships is equally important, supported by field visits, dialogue and greater transparency.
The resulting TIM therefore combines regulatory direction, financial incentives, institutional coordination, citizen science, technological integration and social engagement. Communication campaigns and storytelling can make green-blue veining more visible to society; rapid feedback from monitoring can give volunteers and farmers a tangible sense of impact; and farmers who demonstrate successful practices can encourage others through peer influence. Ultimately, the mix seeks to create a reinforcing loop in which better data improves decisions, visible results strengthen trust and motivation, stronger participation improves monitoring, and stable governance enables long-term ecological restoration.
