Ministry of LNV

The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) of the Netherlands uses this website to inform the public on its worldwide support in the area of nature and water management and biodiversity conservation.

The Ministry of LNV strives for safe, responsibly produced food and a living countryside. Rural areas must remain economically viable while preserving landscape and heritage. In the international context LNV seeks to strengthen the competitive position of the agricultural sector based on socially responsible enterprising. LNV cannot achieve this alone. All stakeholders need to take their responsibility. Transparent decision-making is a precondition. LNV directs, creates the necessary frameworks, stimulates and provides funding.

The Dutch policy on Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality is also shaped by agreements made at the international and European level. The Netherlands signed several international treaties, for instance on nature policy. The Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality therefore observes the ensuing agreements, such as on tropical rain forests, biodiversity and protected animal and plant species.

With regard to the activities of the Ministry in the field of the conservation of biological diversity, the Biodiversity Policy programme 2008-2011 ‘Biodiversity works: for nature, for people forever' is the leading policy document on this moment. The priority areas of the policy are ‘Trade chains and Biodiversity’, ‘Payment for Biodiversity and Ecosystem services’, ‘Biodiversity works (Biodiversity and Business’, ‘Ecological networks’ and 'Marine biodiversity and sustainable fishery’. Three supporting priorities are: ‘New coalitions for biodiversity’, ‘Knowledge of biodiversity’ and ‘Communication on biodiversity’ More information can be found in the specific section on the Biodiversity Policy programme of the Netherlands 2008-2011.

Until now the lines of funding managed by the Ministry of LNV on the subjects of international forestry, nature and biological diversity have been grouped into 5 different portfolios:

• PIN-Matra (Programme on International Nature management in Pre-accession countries), afterwards called BBI-Matra. A list of regularly updated PIN/BBI Matra projects is accessible in the PROFORIS database;
• International water-related LNV projects. These projects include activities under the Water for Food and Ecosystems (Partners for Water) Programme, a Research portfolio, BBI-OS, Programme funding of LNV, etc.
• MoUs (Memorandums of Understanding with Matra partner countries). These are partnership agreements between the Netherlands Ministry of LNV and a partner country (Poland, Hungary, Russian Federation and Ukraine) in the fields of nature and the conservation of biological diversity.
• KNIP- projects (Small Nature Initiatives Programme). These projects fall directly under the management of the decentralised LNV representatives worldwide.
• LNV/Wageningen University & Research Centre biodiversity research programme. This programme reflects the cooperation between LNV and Wageningen University on research and capacity building under "BO Cluster International".

The PROFORIS website presents data on international nature, forests, water and biological diversity activities that are being (co-)funded by the Netherlands government. A large part of these projects are funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs through their Directorate General on Development Cooperation. Another substantial part is being funded or managed by the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV). The Biodiversity Policy programme of the netherlands is a Government policy shared by six ministries among which those of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. The focus of all the projects to be incorporated into the PROFORIS Database and Website should be on the conservation of biological diversity in a wide sense.