Keywords:
onshore barrier dunes
recreation, recreation policy
visitor management
visitor typology
Location: The Netherlands, province of North-Holland
The North-Holland Dune Reserve (NHDR)
The NHDR, situated along the North Sea coast northwest of Amsterdam,
is managed as a nature reserve by N.V. PWN Water Supply Company
North-Holland (PWN). The reserve has a total area of about 5300
ha, it extends for about 20 km north-south and is 1.5 to 5 km
wide. The reserve has important natural as well as recreational
values.
The NHDR as a recreation area
The NHDR is very important for large parts of the province as
an area for recreation. After the North Sea beaches, it is the
most frequented recreation area in the Netherlands. This popularity
is partly due to the lack of other recreation facilities, a problem,
which already existed at the start of large scale recreation in
the 1950s. The Provincial Council therefore adopted a new recreation
policy in the late 1960s, which was first quite successful till
the 1980s with its new wave of increased recreation activities.
Since then, three new trends can be distinguished in the whole
country: (1) the increased popularity of cycling as a recreational
activity, (2) the new so-called ‘physical fitness syndrome’ with
its need for sport facilities, (3) the increased amount of leisure
time and the greater general interest in nature and cultural history
etc. Altogether these changes have led to a considerable increase
of the recreation pressure on the dune area.
Management
Around 1995, the Provincial Council adopted some new proposals
of the PWN for a new recreation policy.This is directed towards
visitors interested in nature and scenery and will be encouraged
by enhancing the information services. A visitor centre was established
as long ago as 1946. In 1983 a completely new visitor centre ‘De
Hoep’ was opened, based on the principle of environmental interpretation
of the countryside. The aim of this form of information, which
was first developed in Great Britain, is to increase the appreciation
and knowledge of the reserve and the management practices. Nowadays,
‘De Hoep’ welcomes more than 140.000 visitors annually. A new,
enlarged information centre will be built.
The PWN conducted an investigation of the amount and type of visitors
in 1983, which was repeated in 1994. As a result, the number of
visitors can be estimated nowadays at between 5 and 6 million
per year and the number is still increasing. Visitors not only
come from nearby, but from all over the province. Furthermore,
a visitor’s typology research was launched as a psychological
study. Seven different visitor types were distinguished from which
a gradient is drawn up from the so-called solitude seeker to the
adventure seeker. Four different dune landscapes with different
relaxation qualities can be derived from this: (1) semi-park nature,
(2) accessible nature, (3) ‘wild’ nature, (4) strict reserve.
To preserve the variety of recreation qualities, a more detailed
approach with appropriate management measures have been worked
out.
Because of the high numbers of visitors, it is felt essential
both to concentrate people in certain more resilient parts and
to provide them with firm directions on the vulnerability of the
dune system. The entrance in the dune reserve is paid to make
the visitors aware of the nature values of the area. Sports-recreation
by organised groups will be phased out, whereas practised by individuals
it will be discouraged and concentrated in the less vulnerable
wooded parts of the reserve.
Consultations with local councils have taken place in order to
agree on these policies and to stimulate cooperation and mutual
planning of a recreation infrastructure in the polders east of
the reserve to take some recreational pressure outside the reserve.
References
- Korf, B. (1995): Recreation in the North-Holland Dune Reserve.
In: Drees, M. (ed.). Coastal Dunes – Recreation and Planning.
2-6. EUCC. Leiden. (BCD95).
- PWN waterleidingbedrijf & EUCC (1992): The North Holland
dune reserve. Coastline special. Coastline 1992 ½: 18-32.
(KJd),
- van der Vegte, F. (1995): The North-Holland Dune Reserve.
In: Drees, M. (ed.). Coastal Dunes – Recreation and Planning.
2-6. EUCC. Leiden. (BCD95).
