Ignace Schops ©Peter Baas

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The milestone of Ignace Schops

In the pub with colleagues – and after quite a few Belgian beers – the idea to build the first national park in Flanders took shape. For Ignace Schops, this plan resulted in a Green Nobel Prize as well as a global network. “The little boy in me wants to save the world.”

Received the green Nobel Prize

When the mines closed in Flemish Limburg in the 1990s, the government was looking to reindustrialise. But Ignace, Director of the Regionaal Landschap Kempen en Maasland, had a different idea. “My colleagues and I wanted to combine the good things we saw at national parks in other countries into an entirely new concept for Flanders.” Their dream became a reality. In 2006, the Hoge Kempen National Park opened its doors to the public.

“For every euro you invest in a nature area, the local community will get tenfold back.”

Ignace: “Along with the park, we developed the reconnection model, to reconnect society with nature. Because in addition to its intrinsic qualities – you simply cannot ignore its beauty – nature has huge socio-economic value. We calculated this value and found that nature is actually the best bank in the world! For every euro you invest in a nature area, the local community will get tenfold back. Many other regions have now copied our approach, from South Korea to the Baltic states.”

Ignace Schops

A global network

For his key role in founding the Hoge Kempen National Park, Ignace received the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2008, also known as the Green Nobel Prize. “That prize set everything in motion for me. I suddenly got access to a global network, which I could never have developed otherwise. I’m relying on that network to reach my goal, which is helping to create a better living environment.”

“I’m relying on my network to reach my goal, which is helping to create a better living environment.”

Alongside that network, several inspirational meetings determined his path. Ignace: “At the global conference for nature, I once met Edward O. Wilson, one of the world’s greatest scientists since Darwin. He told me: “The most dangerous world view is the world view of those who have not viewed the world.” That inspired me immensely. You need to have a thorough understanding of the global context to be able to change things locally. And that’s exactly what I’m trying to do with the Regionaal Landschap Kempen en Maasland.”

Think big

Ignace likes to inspire others by telling his story at conferences. “Flanders is a particularly interesting location for conferences, because we’re in the heart of Europe. The distances are short, which means you can keep your carbon footprint light. There is certainly a place for digital conferences, but they won’t replace face-to-face meetings. That’s why it’s important to be able to travel to a conference as sustainably as possible.”

“There is certainly a place for digital conferences, but they won’t replace face-to-face meetings.”

“The message I want to put forward at conferences is ‘think big’. In Flanders, so many milestones have been achieved that have a global impact. Just consider the mobile schools that Arnoud Raskin developed. Or the work by Bart Weetjens, who trained rats to sniff out landmines in war zones. The little boy in me wants to save the world, and he gives me the energy to keep reaching for my own milestones. I’m very happy to pass that energy on to others.”

Schouwburg Kortrijk - (c) Mark Depaepe

What’s your milestone?

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