FAQ

Nature development & re-wilding

  • Good question. Developing or re-wilding nature initially may be less costly and easier to implement.

    But in the long run, adding education and recreation creates a greater impact. We want to maximize the opportunity to learn from, grow with and enjoy nature and share it with as many people as possible. In addition, it is efficient use of land and provides the income source that nature development makes possible.

    We also believe that more truly regenerative recreation and vacation spots are needed and believe VELD contributes to a more diverse and responsible recreational offering in the Netherlands.

  • For us, nature development and re-wilding, means letting nature take its own course as much as possible and not interfering with it unnecessarily. We facilitate the restoration of natural processes, so that nature itself can then develop wilder, more autonomously and more robustly.

    Read more in this article from the ARK Rewilding Netherlands foundation.

  • Healthy, wild nature provides tangible and intangible services, such as food, pollination, water purification and nature experience. Here, natural processes also play a key role.

    These services help solve environmental problems, such as mitigating the effects of climate change.

    In the Netherlands we have little wild, healthy nature left. The main causes of the decline of our nature are too much nitrogen, desiccation and fragmentation of natural areas and intensive land use. Nature is resilient and can recover, but only if we remove the threats and give nature a helping hand.

    Read more background information at World Wildlife Fund, Wageningen University & Research and the Central Government.

  • Measuring improvement starts with a baseline measurement. Both of soil health, and of the quality of nature.

    One way to measure soil health is to take periodic samples and examine the presence of organisms that must be present for healthy soil function.

    Bird Protection Netherlands talks about a 'Basic Quality Nature' and describes it nicely: "The Basic Quality Nature is in order if the species characteristic for that landscape are and remain common. The determining factors here are the environment, the design and the management and use. These factors must meet minimum requirements in order to guarantee the Basic Quality permanently."

    If the amount of characteristic and common species present improves from the zero measurement, we know that nature is improving.

  • We believe both are important! Regenerative agriculture is booming and we are extremely excited about that. But space is also needed for wild ecological systems. These systems, in turn, are needed for that regenerative agriculture to function properly. Think space for animals and insects, water and other undisturbed natural processes.

    In addition, wilderness provides space for people, for example for recreation.

    However, regenerative agriculture is part of the VELD concept. How big the regenerative farm will be depends on the possibilities at the final location and our partners.

Regeneration & Regenerative life

  • There are many definitions. For us, being regenerative means:

    • Reconnecting with ourselves, others and the earth.

    • Putting the well-being of all life at the center of our decisions and actions.

    • Honest give and take between nature and humans is paramount, where nature continues to have room to grow, develop and most importantly, recover.

    • That whenever possible we leave the earth (or a place) better than when we got there, no matter how small the impact.

    • Be open to unexplored possibilities and keep learning from nature's solutions.

    • Finding solutions to positively impact our earth in with daily life.

    "Regeneration applies to all of life-grasslands, farms, insects, forests, fish, wetlands, coastlands, and oceans-and it applies equally to family, communities, cities, schools, religion, commerce, and governments. And most spectacularly to climate." - Paul Hawken

  • Regeneration literally means recovery or rebuilding.

    A regenerative system is an overall designed system (for example, a human settlement) which as a whole has a positive impact on the environment and the community. In other words, it does no harm, and provides room for restoration or improvement.

    VELD is designed entirely regeneratively. So we as a total system (the place & its visitors) have a positive impact on our visitors, as well as the environment and surroundings.

    You don't do that by just making "perfect" decisions, or only doing things if they don't have a negative impact, that's not possible. It's about finding ways to do things so that they have a positive impact on multiple elements, at least 2.

    For example, if we host a community meeting with local residents, what else can that event positively impact besides the community? Can we incorporate something to also positively impact our soil, guests or something else?

    Sometimes the end justifies the means, it is important to continuously ensure that we as a whole end up having a positive impact, not a negative one.

  • When we talk about regenerative (residential) recreation, it means meeting recreational needs and creating a special, authentic experience, while still caring for an overall positive impact and contribution ecologically, collectively and socially.

  • As humans, we always have an impact on our environment.

    We design VELD as a whole to make a positive contribution to our planet, drawing inspiration from permaculture, working with circular systems and being as self-sufficient as possible. The overall VELD ecosystem, its facilities and its visitor will positively contribute to our planet rather than hinder or negatively impact it. The trick is to have more positive impact, rather than negative impact (such as, for example, through visitor entry and exit).

    By applying these principles holistically throughout the company (for example, the choices we make, the way we work together as a team, the events we organize, the suppliers we work with and the investors we work with), we create an overall environment that has a positive impact within VELD , but also beyond the physical boundaries of VELD: on nature in the broadest sense, its visitors, staff, the (local) community and all other stakeholders.

Business & Investment

  • We work in a number of phases. During each phase there are times to change course, or stop altogether. This will always be in consultation with the investors involved. For more info contact us.

  • Our hope is to find land before the end of 2025. But the sooner, the better of course! After that it will take an estimated 2 years before we can move toward opening. For more information, see our Approach.

  • Not at the moment. Probably this will only happen when we move to the land & area give back to nature and society.

VELD friends & donations

  • VELD friend is a recurring donation to VELD. By doing so, you support VELD on an ongoing basis. For that support you get nice extras in return! Read more here.

  • At the bottom of the VELD friends page everything is explained.

  • You can also make a one-time donation to VELD. You will then not become a VELD friend and there are no extras. Of course we like this very much. Read more here.

General

  • On this site we will take you through our ideas and performance. If we were to set foot on a "blank canvas" right now it could be like this. But we are still completely open to great additions, conceptual changes and adaptations. This could be because of the venue, because of future partners or collaborations, or because we just want to do something even more beautiful or better.

    So no, not completely fixed.

    But the vision and mission - the ecological, educational and social goals remain. These, once there is a location and/or investors step in, will be basically unchangeable.

  • Much still depends on the final location and possibilities. And we can think of 1,000 more fun additions. For now, we assume:

    • Lots of nature! And a flower meadow, vegetable garden, food forest, herb garden and greenhouse.

    • Animals (chickens, ducks, bees, possibly more)

    • 15 lodges (10 small, 5 large)

    • Tent & camper pitches

    • Natural swimming pond, sauna & fire pit

    • Studio space and atelier for workshops, courses and events

    • Professional kitchen for workshops and chef's dinners

    • Communal kitchen for guests

    • Pantry with homegrown produce (fresh and preserved) and additional local products

    • Barn with products to borrow during the stay and products from partners for sale

    • Various outdoor spaces and nature playgrounds

    • Hiking trails (partially wheelchair accessible)

    Certainly, based on location, facilities may be adjusted. One thing remains certain: we maintain our mission and vision, and achieve it through regenerative recreation.

  • When we have land, we will probably start working with volunteers as well. Sign up for the newsletter to be kept informed.

  • Nature should be accessible to everyone. Equally important to us is making the experiences and education of VELD accessible to all.

    Because we work with true pricing, not everything will be cheap at VELD, but cost what it is really worth.

    To ensure accessibility beyond those who can pay (nicely) for it, we will undertake several initiatives.

    For example

    • facilitate peer to peer donations for courses, overnight stays and more

    • weeks with organizations that take care of e.g. children's vacations, elderly vacations etc that cannot afford or arrange this themselves

    • Work with price differentiation (pay what you can afford) for course and overnight offerings

    In addition, we want to provide some of our educational and community offerings for free whenever possible.

    A significant portion of the profits will also be spent on promoting a regenerative society & nature restoration. This will be (partly) in the form of giving people free access to all parts of VELD.