The Brabantse Maasheggen region enjoys the unique status of Unesco

BOXMEER – The Maasheggen region received Wednesday a place on a prestigious UNESCO list with "biosphere zones". In the Netherlands, only the Wadden Sea region is also on the list.

The Maasheggen region – known for its characteristic hedges surrounding farmland – has been recognized as a so-called cultural landscape. Unesco, which also keeps the famous list of national heritage, including the pyramids but also the city center of Amsterdam, explains: "There is no region in Europe where nature, the landscape, the economy and culture are so long linked. are. "

" This is not a natural reserve to be left alone by people. It's about finding ways to enable people to live together with nature, "says Andrée van Es, president of Unesco in the Netherlands.

& # 39; Beautiful recognition & # 39;
In the region, they are now delighted with the appointment. "This is a wonderful recognition.This status gives the area a bigger stature," says alderman Game Verstraaten's neighboring Boxmeer. He expects the place on the list to provide additional tourism. "We will not suddenly have a large-scale tourism, but it's a boost."

Behind the appointment, there is still the work of several municipalities and other stakeholders, says Verstraaten. "We have done at least five years to get there and last year we made a presentation at the UNESCO Congress in France, I think that helped."

650 regions
Worldwide there are 650 zones on the list. In ten years, it will be checked if the zone still meets the conditions