In search for inspiration and ideas on how to optimise habitats in the breeding grounds of meadow birds in Lower Saxony, the field managers of the EU LIFE IP GBH project are keen to look beyond their own horizons. Every year, joint field trips are organised, during which lively discussions take place. This year, the programme featured a very special destination: the Eemland, one of the key areas for meadow bird conservation in the Netherlands. They were welcomed there on 5 May 2026 by area manager Jan Roodhart (Natuurmonumenten), who has been supporting the LIFE Meadow Birds and LIFE IP GrassBirdHabitats projects for years with his expert knowledge.
Jan Roodhart, a former farmer in the area who has been managing the site since the implementation of the nature conservation measures began and therefore knows it like the back of his hand, introduced the area in a brief presentation and during a subsequent walk of approximately 6 km, providing highly interesting and inspiring insights into land development, water management measures and collaboration with farmers and other institutions such as Staatsbosbeheer.
As one of the oldest polder areas in the Netherlands, the Eemland is managed as a landscape of pastures and arable land by the Collectief Eemland. The area contains important meadow bird Special Protection Areas. For more than 25 years, Natuurmonumenten has been successfully implementing measures to protect meadow birds across 500 hectares. The area is complemented by around 100 hectares managed by Staatsbosbeheer, the Dutch forestry and nature conservation organisation.
In the Eemland region, the 10-point programme for the conservation of optimal meadow bird habitats has been successfully implemented: A low-disturbance, open landscape in which, through long-term, professional water level regulation and guidelines for extensive grazing and mowing, formerly intensively used pastureland has been transformed over more than 25 years into extensively used, species-rich and structurally diverse wet grassland, offering optimal habitat conditions for meadow birds. The measures are accompanied by effective predation management and intensive site management. In figures, the success speaks for itself and is impressive. In 2025, 438 black-tailed godwit territories were recorded across an area of approximately 380 hectares (in 1997: 51). For the lapwing, 366 territories were recorded (in 1997: 48).
At the end of the day, all participants agreed: the work carried out here to protect the conservation area is a fantastic and inspiring success for the conservation of meadow birds. They took away some practical ideas for implementing measures, such as dam models and the design of ditch banks, but also a great deal of motivation: “I’ve learnt that habitats only develop into really good habitats over the long term and that you need patience before you can see success. That makes me confident that we’ll also make progress in our project areas in the long run,” comments Joachim Schwane, area manager in East Frisia and the Rheiderland. Thorsten Obracay also describes his impression: “The Eemland is a good example of how important it is to implement all the factors for the success of meadow bird conservation simultaneously; this includes not only rewetting and management, but also good site management and effective predation control.”
