The core of area-based collaboration is cooperation among all stakeholders involved in a specific area: from individual citizens to citizen collectives, businesses, knowledge institutions, and governments. This occurs in many different forms. In the context of strengthening nature, landscape, and biodiversity, it has been shown that long-term collaboration between farmers, residents, and organizations within an area can be successful. This form of community-led governance is believed to create public support and active engagement and to have greater long-term impact.(1)
Government energy challenges have been translated into the policy of Regional Energy Strategies (RES), in which several municipalities collaborate. Within this legal framework, the contribution (50%) of citizen initiatives, in the form of energy cooperatives, is structurally embedded. This provides momentum for area-based collaboration. A similar area-based approach is also seen as a promising strategy for addressing nitrogen-related environmental challenges, bringing together entrepreneurs, relevant organizations, and governments.
Area Cooperatives: A Multifacted Concept
The concept of area cooperatives is not uniform. Some area cooperatives focus on the socio-economic development of a region—such as one or more municipalities. Individual citizens, businesses, organizations, knowledge institutions, and governments can all become members.
One of the first examples was area cooperative O-gen (2014), active in the border region of the provinces of Utrecht and Gelderland, with five types of members and an implementation organization. O-gen ultimately did not succeed, as its financial dependence on municipalities proved too great and working on a project basis made it too vulnerable.(2) A growing number of area cooperatives focus on a core activity, particularly energy generation through wind turbines or solar panels. If successful, their scope of activities may later be expanded.
Buijtenland van Rhoon: Nature, Recreation, and Agriculture
The Buijtenland van Rhoon Area Cooperative (based in The Netherlands) demonstrates that nature, recreation, and agriculture can work together very effectively.(3) Residents of this area opposed government plans to designate the Buijtenland van Rhoon, located near Rotterdam, entirely as a nature compensation area. On the initiative of farmers, nature organizations, recreation entrepreneurs, and citizens, the area cooperative was established. The organization succeeded in balancing diverse interests. Shared values regarding the design and functions of the area were developed into a detailed ten-year vision, addressing all relevant aspects and translated into concrete tasks and plans. The province and municipality approved this vision and allocated financial resources for a ten-year period. Notably, the Buijtenland van Rhoon Area Cooperative developed its own decision-making method based on consent.
Area-based collaboration has its own dynamic, presenting both unique opportunities and challenges for the citizen collectives involved.
Lenny G.J. Van Bussel, Nina De Haan, Roy P. Remme, Marjolein E. Lof, Rudolf De Groot, Community-based governance: Implications for ecosystem service supply in Berg en Dal, the Netherlands. In: Ecological Indicators, vol. 117, October 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106510