Last weekend, more than 25,000 people visited the three-day event ‘Animal Event’, in Safaripark Beekse Bergen, the Netherlands. The event offers educational entertainment for pet, animal and nature lovers. Central theme this year was ‘Children, nature and the future’. Sustainability, biodiversity and the natural environment of humans and animals were given an important role throughout the event. In the special biodiversity stand, for instance, visitors could sign the Countdown 2010 Citizens’ Declaration (see also www.redbiodiversiteitinbrabant.nl).

During the first day of the event, an opening seminar was organized about the theme of Animal Event 2008. The Regional Minister for Ecology of the Province of Noord-Brabant, Mr Onno Hoes, gave a presentation and spoke of the importance of integrating biodiversity into all aspects of policy and promoting it actively to citizens. The chair of the national department of the International Year of Planet Earth, Mr Johan Meulenkamp, spoke about children and our earth, and the progress which is being made in saving biodiversity. Frank Petter, chair of the Brabant Taskforce for Biodiversity and Countdown 2010, led the signing ceremony of the Countdown 2010 Declaration. 7 Brabant municipalities and 3 organizations, such as the Zuidelijke Land- en Tuinbouw Organisatie (ZLTO), the biggest cooperation for farmers in the south of the Netherlands (19,000 members, representing 12,000 farmers), and the Recron, the cooperation of almost all recreation business in the Netherlands, such as leisure and bungalow parks and camping sites (representing 1,900 members), signed the Declaration.

Together 62 participants in Noord-Brabant have signed up the declaration until now. And at least another 36 are interested to sign in the near future. An overview of all partners is given here: http://www.countdown2010.net/?s=article&c=Partners.

For more information please contact Hanneke Wijnja, ECNC Communication Officer.
(Photos: Signing parties by D. Bloemendaal and prof. dr Johan Meulenkamp by H. Wijnja)