IGNACE SCHOPS
Target Population:
World Conservation Union
Belgium,
This profile below was
prepared when Ignace Schops was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2008.
INTRODUCTION
Hundreds of nature reserves in densely populated areas across Europe are falling into public neglect and are threatened because of the limited resources engaged in their promotion and maintenance. Ignace Schops has realized their untapped potential and has found a way to dramatically enhance both the environmental and economic value of these areas through concerted development. In the province of Limburg, Belgium, he has piloted the first citizen movement in Europe to claim the custody of a 6,000 hectare natural reserve into a national park, leading to the compatible development of a 20,000 hectare area. In doing so, he has mobilized a new generation of entrepreneurs to create calibrated investments that foster business opportunities while supporting local ecological quality. Ignace is now using this park to anchor an economic development model adaptable to small and large nature spots and reserves in densely populated regions across Europe.
THE NEW IDEA
Ignace has anticipated and seen the rise of a movement of citizens shifting their focus away from consumption and materialism and looking for a renewed relationship to nature. He has been organizing these concerned citizens around various nature reserves and ... Read More [+]
preserved regions by giving them a direct access to beautiful natural areas in their vicinity and multiplying entry points into nature, adapted to all socio-economic and age groups, through the creation of biking networks and the engagement of local, regional and international conservation organizations. Over the years, he has connected hundreds of thousands of citizens with nature, in Flanders and beyond.
With the support of these citizens, Ignace has found bringing together businessmen and conservationists around the protection of nature reserves in densely populated areas to be a great opportunity. Indeed, unlike the usual divergent ways of nature conservationists and the business sector, Ignace is providing a new local development approach: He is showing to businessmen the value of nature in the eyes of consumers and encouraging entrepreneurs to invest and leverage nature reserves to foster proximity tourism and economic development, with a focus on authenticity. He is hence avoiding big resorts and packaged vacation experiences that typically destroy beautiful landscapes and have a high ecological footprint. Simultaneously, he is demonstrating to conservationists that working with businesses can create economic and social value, but also and foremost can generate a stream of resources to reinforce nature conservation if they agree to bring down the fences they typically build around nature reserves.
In order to facilitate and deepen the cooperation between all these stakeholders, Ignace is forming new kinds of public/private partnerships around the combined economic and ecological development of natural areas. Representing the united voice of citizens and local governments, he is leveraging public and EU funds to bring conservationists and entrepreneurs around the same negotiating table, which allows him to tap into budgets not earmarked for environmental preservation and to combine these new investment streams with funds from a broad range of private sources. He thus sustains these public/private partnerships and reinforces them through payback systems for long-term investments in the maintenance, improvement and further preservation of these areas. To facilitate and accelerate the replication of his model across Europe, he is constantly developing new financial tools and mechanisms.
With the support of these citizens, Ignace has found bringing together businessmen and conservationists around the protection of nature reserves in densely populated areas to be a great opportunity. Indeed, unlike the usual divergent ways of nature conservationists and the business sector, Ignace is providing a new local development approach: He is showing to businessmen the value of nature in the eyes of consumers and encouraging entrepreneurs to invest and leverage nature reserves to foster proximity tourism and economic development, with a focus on authenticity. He is hence avoiding big resorts and packaged vacation experiences that typically destroy beautiful landscapes and have a high ecological footprint. Simultaneously, he is demonstrating to conservationists that working with businesses can create economic and social value, but also and foremost can generate a stream of resources to reinforce nature conservation if they agree to bring down the fences they typically build around nature reserves.
In order to facilitate and deepen the cooperation between all these stakeholders, Ignace is forming new kinds of public/private partnerships around the combined economic and ecological development of natural areas. Representing the united voice of citizens and local governments, he is leveraging public and EU funds to bring conservationists and entrepreneurs around the same negotiating table, which allows him to tap into budgets not earmarked for environmental preservation and to combine these new investment streams with funds from a broad range of private sources. He thus sustains these public/private partnerships and reinforces them through payback systems for long-term investments in the maintenance, improvement and further preservation of these areas. To facilitate and accelerate the replication of his model across Europe, he is constantly developing new financial tools and mechanisms.
THE PROBLEM
The potential of proximity nature tourism in Europe is very strong andyet untapped. The European Tourism Forum in Budapest in 2004 hasunderlined dramatic new trends in tourists’ aspirations whichhave changed and should deeply transform the sector’s ... Read More [+]
realityin the years to come. The rise in the number of retirees, the newaspirations and limited budgets of families, and the increasing costsof airline transportation explain a rising demand for proximity tourismand more authentic experiences in relationship to nature. According toa 2007 survey in Europe, more than 70 percent of European tourists arelooking for a renewed connection to nature during their holidays.However, more than half of them fear that they cannot find the type ofexperience they are looking for nearby, and favor further destinations.
This constitutes a missed development opportunity in Europe. Manydensely populated, transitioning areas are struggling to convert theircoal mining and heavy industries into healthier local economies. Yearsof industrial focus explain overlooking nature and biodiversity aspotential sources of growth through tourism. These regions areparticularly numerous in Belgium in the province of Limburg and thesouth of Wallonia; in the U.K. (Wales, Scotland, and NortheasternEngland) and the North and Northeast of France. For example, theprovince of Limburg in Belgium is only 80 kilometers away fromBrussels, Belgium’s capital and most densely populatedregion. Formerly one of the coal-mining capitals of Europe, it has beenstruggling since the closing of its last mine in the early 1990s, andunemployment levels are 7 percent, among the highest inFlanders. Yet, the region is rich in natural resources, withmore than half its surface covered by natural landscapes, and includesmore than 20 regional nature reserves., Nature tourism isunderdeveloped. Only 1.2 percent of the regional income comes fromtourism, and most of it is concentrated in cities.
Governments have a key role to play in capturing these trends andcapitalizing on their potential benefits. As underlined in NicholasStern’s Report for the World Bank and U.K. governmentpublished in October 2006, it is crucial for modern economies to investnow in nature preservation to limit the costs incurred by globalwarming and trigger new forms of development. Stern particularlyremarked on the role played by tax incentives and public subsidies inWestern Europe and Northern America, which have typically beenencouraging industrialization at the expense of nature preservationsince the end of World War II and the necessity to change this paradigmin the 21st century.
This constitutes a missed development opportunity in Europe. Manydensely populated, transitioning areas are struggling to convert theircoal mining and heavy industries into healthier local economies. Yearsof industrial focus explain overlooking nature and biodiversity aspotential sources of growth through tourism. These regions areparticularly numerous in Belgium in the province of Limburg and thesouth of Wallonia; in the U.K. (Wales, Scotland, and NortheasternEngland) and the North and Northeast of France. For example, theprovince of Limburg in Belgium is only 80 kilometers away fromBrussels, Belgium’s capital and most densely populatedregion. Formerly one of the coal-mining capitals of Europe, it has beenstruggling since the closing of its last mine in the early 1990s, andunemployment levels are 7 percent, among the highest inFlanders. Yet, the region is rich in natural resources, withmore than half its surface covered by natural landscapes, and includesmore than 20 regional nature reserves., Nature tourism isunderdeveloped. Only 1.2 percent of the regional income comes fromtourism, and most of it is concentrated in cities.
Governments have a key role to play in capturing these trends andcapitalizing on their potential benefits. As underlined in NicholasStern’s Report for the World Bank and U.K. governmentpublished in October 2006, it is crucial for modern economies to investnow in nature preservation to limit the costs incurred by globalwarming and trigger new forms of development. Stern particularlyremarked on the role played by tax incentives and public subsidies inWestern Europe and Northern America, which have typically beenencouraging industrialization at the expense of nature preservationsince the end of World War II and the necessity to change this paradigmin the 21st century.
THE STRATEGY
In March 2006, Ignace Schops inaugurated Hoge Kempen in Maasland, thefirst national park in Belgium and provided undeniable demonstrationthat a new form of ecological development was possible. When the WorldConservation Union (IUCN) validated the creation of ... Read More [+]
the park, it foundmost striking Ignace’s ability to mobilize a broad citizenmovement “to create the first national park from a bottom-upapproach”, as opposed to a governmental initiative. Indeed,Ignace has been working over the years to make nature more accessiblewithout fences or fees, and to capture the interest of a new urbanculture of young adults and retirees aspiring to a renewed connectionto nature, focusing initially on Flanders and the Province of Limburg.He multiplied bridges between people and nature, for example bycreating the largest bicycle network from private initiative in Europewhich attracted over 100,000 tourists a year in the area as early as1996. Since the opening of the National Park, more than 700,000tourists have been stepping through the gates of the park, and manymore have discovered nature reserves nearby. More than half of themwere living in neighboring cities. To strengthen the links betweenpeople and nature, Ignace created a brand for Hoge Kempen, embodied bynine stones positioned in the shape of a footprint. With it, hecertifies the quality of the nature experience in the Park, startingwith the gateways into the park and the partnering businesses investingin nature custody. He is taking every opportunity to educate the publicabout its environmental footprint and responsibility and engages themas much as possible outside of the boundaries of the park to lessen theburden on local ecosystems. What Ignace has achieved in Hoge Kempen ismerely the cornerstone of his strategy, demonstrating an insight he isalso leveraging in several smaller nature reserves in Flanders, and theshape he is giving to new projects. He is leveraging natureconservation and business networks to test his approach in Wales andthe North of France, and developing funding schemes to facilitateprivate-public partnerships for the spread of his model.
Indeed, in choosing and making nature areas in Kempen and beyond,accessible, Ignace is sending an open invitation to conservationistsand businessmen to sit around the same table to work on the healthyeconomic and ecologic development of regions that combine nature andhigh population densities. Because of the massive number of citizens hehas mobilized, Ignace was able to convince local entrepreneurs toignore the roads and industrial districts that were polarizinginvestments and to look at preserved areas and beautiful landscapes asa business opportunity for the tourism industry in which to invest.This led to the creation of over 100 businesses and hundreds of jobsaround Hoge Kempen as well as smaller nature reserves in Belgium.Simultaneously, hand in hand with conservation leagues, he iscoordinating and monitoring very strict preservation rules that allowfor tourism but guarantee the maintained and even enhanced ecologicalquality of the region, thanks to the financial support of localbusinesses through the development of tourist payback systems and atourism tax. These unique partnerships between the conservation andbusiness sector have led to Ignace being awarded the GoldmanEnvironmental Prize in 2008. This in turn opened the doors of manyinternational conservation and business networks, which Ignace wants toleverage for the fast spread of his economic/ecological developmentmodel.
Because he has created the first coalition of citizens, businesses andconservationists and given them a united voice, Ignace has managed tobring on board local and national governments, but also the EuropeanUnion. He is catalyzing their support to invest in preserved areas,tapping into budgets earmarked to economic development, industrialreconversion, business creation and tourism rather than the typicallylimited conservation budgets. Since most of this financial supportrequires matching funds, it has been encouraging local businesses toinvest further in the area. For example in Hoge Kempen, this hasallowed for an investment of €10M in the environmentalrehabilitation of the area, with an added €30 to €50Mof public and private investment in economic development. This isalready yielding a turnover of over €24M a year for thetourism industry, with seven times as many visitors over the past twoyears. These results provide a strong incentive for governments acrossEurope and for the EU to support Ignace’s new endeavors,especially since new EU regulations make ecological conservation acompulsory element of every economic investment. To expand his modelbeyond the boundaries of the EU and in areas where the government wouldnot have the necessary budget, Ignace is also working on thedevelopment of new financial instruments and tools, especially aninvestment fund.
Indeed, in choosing and making nature areas in Kempen and beyond,accessible, Ignace is sending an open invitation to conservationistsand businessmen to sit around the same table to work on the healthyeconomic and ecologic development of regions that combine nature andhigh population densities. Because of the massive number of citizens hehas mobilized, Ignace was able to convince local entrepreneurs toignore the roads and industrial districts that were polarizinginvestments and to look at preserved areas and beautiful landscapes asa business opportunity for the tourism industry in which to invest.This led to the creation of over 100 businesses and hundreds of jobsaround Hoge Kempen as well as smaller nature reserves in Belgium.Simultaneously, hand in hand with conservation leagues, he iscoordinating and monitoring very strict preservation rules that allowfor tourism but guarantee the maintained and even enhanced ecologicalquality of the region, thanks to the financial support of localbusinesses through the development of tourist payback systems and atourism tax. These unique partnerships between the conservation andbusiness sector have led to Ignace being awarded the GoldmanEnvironmental Prize in 2008. This in turn opened the doors of manyinternational conservation and business networks, which Ignace wants toleverage for the fast spread of his economic/ecological developmentmodel.
Because he has created the first coalition of citizens, businesses andconservationists and given them a united voice, Ignace has managed tobring on board local and national governments, but also the EuropeanUnion. He is catalyzing their support to invest in preserved areas,tapping into budgets earmarked to economic development, industrialreconversion, business creation and tourism rather than the typicallylimited conservation budgets. Since most of this financial supportrequires matching funds, it has been encouraging local businesses toinvest further in the area. For example in Hoge Kempen, this hasallowed for an investment of €10M in the environmentalrehabilitation of the area, with an added €30 to €50Mof public and private investment in economic development. This isalready yielding a turnover of over €24M a year for thetourism industry, with seven times as many visitors over the past twoyears. These results provide a strong incentive for governments acrossEurope and for the EU to support Ignace’s new endeavors,especially since new EU regulations make ecological conservation acompulsory element of every economic investment. To expand his modelbeyond the boundaries of the EU and in areas where the government wouldnot have the necessary budget, Ignace is also working on thedevelopment of new financial instruments and tools, especially aninvestment fund.
THE PERSON
A nature lover at heart, Ignace Schops engaged early in nature andconservation movements as President and later Vice-President ofNatuurpunt, Flanders’ Conservation Union. Breaking away fromhis fellow conservationists, he worked over the years to make ... Read More [+]
naturemore accessible to all, both in his voluntary nature conservationactivities and his position as a social worker. In 1994 and 1995, heembarked on the creation of a vast bicycle network, the largest ofprivate initiative in Europe. It showed him that his insight wascorrect: people in modern societies aspire to establish a strongconnection with nature and to have authentic experiences. Over itsfirst few years, the bicycle network was used by 100,000 tourists everyyear. The scale of this impact on the local economy and landscapeallowed him to mobilize citizens, local entrepreneurs and localgovernments to create a “Masterplan” for concertedimprovement through a combination of economic and ecologicaldevelopment.
The milestones of his Masterplan have allowed him to create a strongcoalition between all local stakeholders, develop his tools andconcepts, and progressively understand their full potential. Hemultiplied experiments across Flanders, and in 2003, convinced theBelgian government to provide matching funding to focus the industrialreconversion of the area on environmental preservation, at a level ofover €28M, allowing for the opening of a national park in HogeKempen in March 2006 in the presence of Stavros Dimas, EU’scommissioner for the Environment. Since then, he has been developingfinancial tools to guarantee the sustained interest and furtherpreservation of development of the park and other natural areas inFlanders, including payback systems and tax incentives.
Ignace’s work has been exciting IUCN and progressiveconservationists worldwide, because it is demonstrating thatenvironmental preservation can be compatible with economic developmentand offers a new dimension for future investments and innovativeconservation processes in Europe and beyond. This recognition hasreached its full scope in March 2008 when Ignace won the GoldmanEnvironmental Prize, which opened the eyes and the doors of businessand conservation networks. Ignace is thrilled to tap into this newinterest to spread his model and is already working closely withorganizations in France and the U.K. He is also exploring alternativepaths independent from public funding with the possible creation of thefund to which he was the first contributor in giving a third of hisGoldman Prize money to kick start a project in Latvia.
The milestones of his Masterplan have allowed him to create a strongcoalition between all local stakeholders, develop his tools andconcepts, and progressively understand their full potential. Hemultiplied experiments across Flanders, and in 2003, convinced theBelgian government to provide matching funding to focus the industrialreconversion of the area on environmental preservation, at a level ofover €28M, allowing for the opening of a national park in HogeKempen in March 2006 in the presence of Stavros Dimas, EU’scommissioner for the Environment. Since then, he has been developingfinancial tools to guarantee the sustained interest and furtherpreservation of development of the park and other natural areas inFlanders, including payback systems and tax incentives.
Ignace’s work has been exciting IUCN and progressiveconservationists worldwide, because it is demonstrating thatenvironmental preservation can be compatible with economic developmentand offers a new dimension for future investments and innovativeconservation processes in Europe and beyond. This recognition hasreached its full scope in March 2008 when Ignace won the GoldmanEnvironmental Prize, which opened the eyes and the doors of businessand conservation networks. Ignace is thrilled to tap into this newinterest to spread his model and is already working closely withorganizations in France and the U.K. He is also exploring alternativepaths independent from public funding with the possible creation of thefund to which he was the first contributor in giving a third of hisGoldman Prize money to kick start a project in Latvia.
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