Commissioned by the Province of Overijssel, Nature^Squared has researched the value and use of natural capital in the province of Overijssel. By combining literature, stakeholder workshops, best practices, and GIS information (in close collaboration with Geodan), five ‘city maps’ have been developed for various themes on how to work with natural capital in a sustainable manner. These themes are business parks, agriculture (soil quality), agriculture (agrobiodiversity), recreation, and biomass.
Nature^Squared has taken the Natural Capital Accounting Framework as a starting point and combined it with a landscape approach to interweave the spatial dimension and involve relevant stakeholders in the area. The research shows hotspots – areas where natural capital is either overutilized (risks) or underutilized (opportunities) – and offers inspiration and action perspectives for farmers and entrepreneurs to work with natural capital more sustainably.
The study provided a guideline for the regional government of Overijssel to tailor its nature and agricultural policy more effectively. Suggestions from the study have been incorporated into policy, which has already led to various follow-up projects, including a competition for ‘’green’’ entrepreneurs.
Do you want to know more about the specific themes?
Please navigate to the maps using the links below (Dutch only).
Our approach
For this project, we have developed a spatial analysis approach for natural capital: the Spatial Natural Capital Framework.
Interested to learn more? Download our factsheet
