Why we don’t let nature take its course

24 oktober 2025

You often hear extremes when it comes to nature management. On one hand, there is strict weed control: every sprout is removed, and nature, which actually wants to grow quickly, is given hardly any space. The result is bare, hoed soil with plants struggling to survive. Nature conservation is also often practiced, primarily to ensure that nothing can happen to the environment. On the other hand, there is the idea that we should let nature take its course completely. But anyone who thinks carefully about this will see that it doesn’t work: the nature we know today is incomplete.

An ecosystem is like a chain: it consists of links that together keep the whole system running. Due to extinction, intensive land use, and habitat fragmentation, many of these links are missing. Predators, large grazers, and countless insects and plants that once naturally found their place are now gone or barely present. If the chain is incomplete, nature cannot sustain itself.

The third option feels like the most fitting to us. We let nature take its course, but we take on the role of the missing links. For example, we mow at the right moment and prune at the right moment to mimic the grazers. We call this harvesting and feeding. We do this at times that strengthen the ecosystem. This creates a landscape that is both ecologically valuable and aesthetically pleasing.

Because beauty also plays a role. A flower meadow, for instance, can look messy when it borders a road. By mowing the first meter along the road short, the streetscape remains neat, creating a transition to the lush flower sea. The ‘chaos’ thus becomes more beautiful. And as a bonus, other plant species develop in the mown area.

Not everything needs to be strictly regulated. Sometimes we simply leave spent flowers standing because they have aesthetic value even when dried. This way of working creates space and conditions that allow nature to grow exponentially.