Een Kafkaverhaal

De Oostvaardersplassen. 1980-2021

Samenvatting

This article analyses the history of the debate about the controversial management of large herbivores in the Oostvaardersplassen. Why did the Oostvaardersplassen become so controversial? By looking at the policy documents published between 1980 and 2018, this essay explores how public opinion on nature in the Netherlands changed, and how this influenced the management of the large herbivores. The article shows the battle between the wish for wildlife in the Netherlands, the fear of reducing a hold on management, and the reality of the animal’s well-being. The history of this debate tells us that the controversy of said debate was inevitable.